BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Even before noon, the lunch line was long at Gyropolis on Tuesday. The Greek restaurant was closed for renovations for several months but returned this week under a soft opening.
Dino Contolatis first opened Gyropolis in Bloomington in 2005, following in his parents' footsteps. They opened a deli in the city in 1996 after emigrating from a picturesque but poor Greek village in 1971.
"My customers, I want to thank them for getting us to this point," Contolatis said. "I couldn't have done it without them."
One such customer, Chuck Pittman, says he's eaten at the restaurant for at about 10 years now.
"There are lines that would go out the door," said Pittman, who lives in St. Paul but works in Bloomington. "The parking lot was always super full."
There have been so many customers, Contolatis decided in 2022 it was time to expand. Only, there was an abandoned gas station next door.
"It got broken into many times," Pittman said. "It was just kind of an eyesore on the corner."
The restaurant is located on 90th Street W and Penn Avenue S, which lead to places including City Hall and I-494. It's considered a busy area, though not as busy as the Mall of America. Still, the city was eager to get involved in the restaurant's expansion plans.
Economic development analyst Michael Palermo says the city helped demolish the gas station.
"This was a way to kind of redevelop a site that was kind of difficult to develop on its own," Palermo said.
Palermo says city staff helped secure $58,400 in grant funds from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, making the demolition possible in Fall 2023. Tax increment financing also made the project possible.
"This just speaks to the greater effort we have to support our local commercial nodes," Palermo said. "We have these big prominent regional destinations but we also want to support our small businesses."
Gyropolis employees worked from a food truck over the last few months as the restaurant building nearly tripled in size.
The expansion includes a larger kitchen, more parking spaces, more indoor seating and a new patio for outdoor seating.
Pittman joked that gyros are somewhat challenging to eat in the car or on the go.
"I've done it, but it's one of those things that you really want to sit down and enjoy it fresh because they make it perfectly," he said.
Unlike before, there's also enough room indoors to wait in line. There's a pick-up window now, too.
"We used to be 10 employees and now we're 14 and probably gonna need more, as we can see today," Contolatis said. "My team are the best people I could possibly work with and the city has been great in helping me navigate this process and to help create a self-determining business on a very important corner in Bloomington that I hope has a bright future."
Contolatis said a grand opening will take place next week.