KINGSTON, NY — Eddy’s Restaurant, a longtime breakfast and brunch hotspot in Kingston, will close on Sunday, August 25 and be replaced by a new restaurant.
Founded in 1971, Eddy’s has been owned and operated by the Millouras family for over 50 years. The current owner, Chris Millouras, founded it with his father Eddy after they immigrated to the United States from Cyprus.
Rebecca Millouras-Lettre, Chris Millouras’ daughter, said while the restaurant was closed, exciting things were planned for the new restaurant, which is set to open “in a couple of weeks” after renovations. “My dad just has to physically do this,” she said of the closure. “But they’re going to keep a lot of the old traditions and introduce a lot of new, exciting things.”
The restaurant at 742 Broadway will remain locally owned and operated, which Millouras-Lettre is excited about. “We don’t want everything to be run by Denny’s or Wendy’s,” she said. “We want local businesses.”
Millouras-Lettre said the closure was a sad thing for the whole family, as the restaurant had played such an important role in their lives for the past 50 years. “Just today I came in and my 15-year-old son was peeling potatoes with my dad, and I started crying,” she said. “I had to leave. My whole life revolved around Eddy’s Restaurant.”
According to Millouras-Lettre, the restaurant was open every day from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. But in recent years, hours have been reduced and the restaurant is now open five days a week. “He didn’t take a day off for 25 years,” she said of her father.
“My grandfather Eddy told him you can’t close down. If you close down one day, you’ll lose your business,” Millouras-Lettre said. “That’s the old mentality in restaurants.” But as Eddy’s cemented its place in the hearts of people in the Kingston community, customers didn’t mind reduced hours or holidays. “Nowadays, people want you to go away, relax, unwind and come back to work,” she said.
Although the restaurant has remained family owned and operated throughout its existence in Kingston, many customers have become part of that family. “All of the customers have become family,” Millouras-Lettre said. “They have been part of all of my birthdays, my wedding, my children’s baptisms.”
“Thank you for all your support, love and dedication to Eddy’s Restaurant,” she added.
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