30 Years Of Zaro's Cafe In Huntington Station: 'We Appreciate You Guys'

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — Zaro's Cafe is celebrating 30 years in business in August.

The family-owned Greek restaurant, at 135 W. Jericho Turnpike, Huntington Station, has been serving its heros, gyros, pastas, pizzas and meals for three decades.

"It’s definitely incredible. It’s a great feeling," Edmund Zarou, manager of the cafe, told Patch. "We appreciate the support. It’s a very, very good accomplishment, and we’re super proud of it, especially with this economic time that we’re in."

Consistency and keeping the same quality ingredients have been the cafe's keys to success, according to Zarou. Fittingly, it was the eatery's consistency that Zarou said got it through the coronavirus pandemic.

Inflation remains an issue for Zaro's Cafe, Zarou said. Last year, he said the cafe was "definitely struggling" because of inflation, food shortages, and scarcity of products, and while the cost of key ingredients has decreased from 2022, the price increases are still a "big hurdle."

"We’ve managed to continue to get by without increasing our prices too much," Zarou said. "We understand that the family is also feeling it at home. We’ve just tried to maintain the same quality. We haven’t changed our portions or anything like that. We’re just trying to stay consistent."

The business still pays higher food costs than it would like, but that factor is out of the family's control. Zaro's tries to bring in more customers with a two-for-$15 gyro special on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The family opted to add Wednesdays after customers asked for a second day on the gyro special.

The labor market has also been a challenge, but Zaro's has the advantage of being a family business. The Zarous are able to tap into their family members for help in a pinch.

"It is tough," Zarou said. "It’s not easy. I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but we’re still here."

Zarou said he and his family appreciate the patronage over the past three decades.

"We’re very proud to be able to stand here and still serve our quality food to our customers. It's an accomplishment , especially with small businesses, the statistics are not on our side overall. We just want to say thank you, and we appreciate you guys. Keep supporting us, and hopefully we’ll make it another 30 years."

Zaro's Cafe can be followed on Instagram for information on deals and more.