In 1991, that dream came true and the childhood friends, along with Andy’s father Mike, purchased the Pier 112 Restaurant. With the help of DeRaffele Manufacturing Co, they transformed the restaurant to the Metropolis Diner. Metropolis officially opened May 9th, 1992. Andy’s father was in the restaurant business ever since he came over from Greece in the early 1900’s. With his experience and passi
on, Andy and Mike had a strong foundation to build on. Andy worked in his fathers restaurants for many years, the last prior to Metropolis was the Hampton Bays Diner which he sold in 1989. Andy and his wife Adele are the parents of four children, Michael, Nicky, Maya, and Andrew. Mike was the pervious owner and operator of Tony’s Deli in Whitestone Queens prior to the accusation of Metropolis. Mike and his wife Carol are the parents of two daughters, Amanda and Emily. Mike and Andy are both hands on guys, so you would be very surprised to not find one of them there anytime day or night. To this day, they are responsible for all the day to day operations. They do not employe a chef, those duties are handled solely by Andy or Mike on a daily basis. They feel that the control of the kitchen starts there, they never skimp on quality, and consistently take pride in everything they make. Metropolis has a reputation for excellent soups, and they are made by them everyday. All the soups stem from Andy’s father’s original old world recipes, and the boys continue to respect for consistency. This also goes for a lot of other things, like their rice and bread pudding. Since the boys have been there for so many years, they've seen many generations of the customers. The children of the 90’s now come in with their own children today. This is why they feel a connection to the neighborhood. It drives them to take pride and causes them to feel an obligation to the customers. If you're a regular customer, Metropolis Diner says thank you, and we appreciate you! If you are a new customer, we say welcome to our family!
