Fronimo’s Greek Café, which opened back in 1995, is closing its doors on 3242 E. Speedway Blvd. on Thursday, January 14. However, the owners are hoping to reopen elsewhere in the near future.
George and Tracy Fronimakas opened the restaurant in the mid-90s and had previous experience operating a successful cafe in Crete before making their way over to Tucson.
The restaurant posted about the closure on Facebook, stating the following:
“Our lease period expired and we were not able to come to a renewal agreement with our landlord, who wanted to raise our rent astronomically. As challenging as the pandemic has been for all of us, we have thankfully been able to keep all our employees and stay in business with our takeout model only up to this point. We just cannot stay and pay the increased rent.”
Even though their last day on Speedway is mid-January, they’re currently on the hunt for a new location to settle in to. The only problem is they weren’t able to find another space before closing up, so they’re resorting to moving everything into a storage unit.
“If and when we find the right place, we will definitely bring out employees back,” said George and Tracy Fronimakas. “The most difficult day of our business was telling our employees (some of whom have been with us for over twelve years) that we must let them go for now. The second most difficult day is now, telling our cherished customers.”
For now, keep your fingers crossed that they fire up the kitchen sooner rather than later.
“Please stay safe, be well, and love one another. We sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we hope to see you again sometime in the near future.”
To keep up with the latest and their possible new location, follow Fronimo’s Greek Café on Facebook or visit fronimos.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
