Waitress Rebecca Cooper enjoys serving her regular patrons at the Parthenon Diner. A family-run and family-friendly diner is open for business at 558 New Brunswick Ave. in the Fords section of Woodbridge.
Serving diner food at reasonable prices, the Parthenon Diner is located across from a Woodbridge senior housing building, between Corrielle Street and King Georges Post Road.
Owner Jimmy Koukourdelis proudly related that his daughter, Eleni, 19, a student at Middlesex County College, Edison, and son, Telly, 17, a high school student, work at the restaurant. His wife, Giannoula, also spends time as hostess.
Koukourdelis splits his time cooking in the kitchen and scanning the dining room to make sure customers are happy and wellfed.
He said he spent three months cleaning and refurbishing the location, which was once a hookah bar. All traces of that former use are gone, with a gleaming wood floor, handsome wooden counter, and a new ceiling and lighting fixtures.
Parthenon Diner owner Jimmy Koukourdelis and cook Pedro Fuentes get ready to serve breakfast. An outside dining space to the rear of the building will be available to patrons next spring, once landscaping work is completed.
Koukourdelis lived the American dream, coming to the United States from Greece in 1968. He learned to cook alongside his uncle and then went on to own and operate the Duchess Diner in Metuchen for 35 years. He and his family reside in South River. “I love it here,” said Rebecca Cooper of North Brunswick, a full-time waitress at the Parthenon. She said she enjoys speaking with her regular customers, and working with the owner and his family.
There were smiles all around on a recent weekday morning as cook Pedro Fuentes busied himself with meal orders from the breakfast crowd.
Koukourdelis touted the homemade soups and cakes he serves and the “nice Greek salad and spinach pie.” “A lot of people like the chicken francaise. People come back for that,” he said.
The chicken dish is among several $8.95 specials that include soup or salad and dessert. The budget-friendly specials will be on the menu for a while, the owner said, since many people enjoy them and come back for another taste.
“The economy is a little tight for [customers] and for me. I want to bring business in,” Koukourdelis said. News of good food at good prices travels fast. Koukourdelis recently welcomed a party of 19 from the Olsen Towers senior housing complex across the street. Some ordered meals or the Lacas coffee “to go.”
The diner, which debuted Oct. 7, opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The diner closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For additional information, call the Parthenon at 732-638-5042.