Who Is Nick The Greek

A novel about Nick's life was written by Harry Mark Petrakis in 1978 titled Nick the Greek. In popular culture Edit In the Damon Runyon short story, 'Romance in the Roaring Forties,' Nick the Greek is mentioned by name, as a guest at the Prohibition-era New York wedding of Miss Billy Perry. Nick the Greek is a quick service, family-friendly restaurant that offers authentic Greek food suitable for everyone. The modern interpretation of convenience dining has filled a niche in the marketplace and provides investors with the opportunity to introduce this Greek food franchise model to their communities and portfolios. About Nick The Greek: Nick The Greek in San Jose, CA is looking for team members to join our team. Our ideal candidate is self-driven, motivated, and reliable. By applying to this job, you agree to receive periodic text messages from this employer and Homebase about your pending job application. Opt out anytime. Msg & data rates may apply.

There can’t be many characters in the ‘Gambling Hall of Fame’ who are as inspirational as the legendary Nick the Greek.

Facebook/Instagram Anton Van Happen is the owner of Nick the Greek, a restaurant in Ventura, California. Anton Van Happen is a California businessman and entrepreneur who is the owner of the Nick.

The well-documented facts, as well as the urban myths surrounding Nick’s career as a professional gambler, have been the basis of several books and even a film about the man himself.

The stories of him winning and then losing millions of dollars, yet still coming back for more, have served as motivation for gamblers over the years.

The story of Nick is different from that of many of the other legends of the gambling world. He did not come from the rough side of the tracks. He also did not have to hustle to raise a few dollars to get started, and he definitely didn’t find himself on the wrong side of the law.

But Nick did have supreme confidence in his own ability.

Life was not all a bed of roses for Nick. He went from rags to riches several times over the years.

Nick was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979, thirteen years after his death, and he will no doubt continue to be a gambling inspiration to the generations of gamblers in the years to come.

The Early Years

Nicholas Andreas Dandolos was born on the Greek island of Crete on the 27th of April, 1883.

He was lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family.

But while he could have probably coasted through his early life without having to better himself, he decided to do the exact opposite.

He studied philosophy at the Greek Evangelical College, and his hard work resulted in a degree.

Instead of settling down to a life of academic endeavor surrounded by his family, Nick’s grandfather sent him off to the USA in 1901 when he was eighteen.

He initially settled in Chicago and received a weekly allowance of $150 from his family.

That doesn’t sound like much to modern ears.

But when Nick moved to the USA, it was the equivalent of $3000 per week.

Nick was not struggling when it came to earning a living. And this buffer of money afforded him the luxury of being able to learn his craft—gambling.

Besides learning the ropes, he was able to use his living allowance as a bankroll for his gambling activities—in particular, horse racing.

He moved from Chicago to Montreal, and it’s rumored that he won over half a million dollars in one season by applying his horse racing knowledge.

The following year, Nick moved back to Chicago, where he decided to apply his knowledge and money to take advantage of the local casinos.

Nick’s upbringing in Crete meant that he was a practicing Christian. But following his move to the USA, he predictably started to become interested in Fortuna, the goddess of luck.

This prompted him to state on more than one occasion, “Luck is a lady, and she is the love of my life.”

You Win Some, You Lose Some

When he returned to Chicago, Nick’s “gambler psychology” became evident.

Just as he had diligently studied for his philosophy degree a few years earlier, he concentrated on learning various card games, including poker.

But this time, he had a run of bad luck. He wound up losing most of the half a million dollars that he had won in Montreal on horse racing.

The Windy City was certainly not being kind to Nick. But instead of packing it all in and embarking on some other adventure, he stuck with gambling in Chicago.

This pattern of winning and then losing would continue throughout his career. During one interview, Nick estimated that he had won and lost around $500 million during his life.

Nick was philosophical about the winning and losing.

He said, “The next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing.”

These days, Nick the Greek would probably be told to seek help for what was probably a gambling addiction.

He might well have sought counseling, but that doesn’t really fit in with the folklore that surrounds this inspirational character.

Nick Shows Einstein What’s What

According to reporter Ted Thackrey of the Toledo Blade, Albert Einstein was given a personal tour of Vegas by Nick the Greek.

Nick would occasionally be persuaded to show tourists around Vegas, probably to subsidize his lifestyle during one of his losing runs.

St Nicks Greek Orthodox Church

He apparently met Einstein at the airport and took him to his favorite casino, where he introduced Einstein to his friends.

Fearing that his gambling buddies would make fun of the world-renowned scientist, Nick introduced Einstein as “little Al from Princeton.”

Einstein was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton, so this wasn’t far from the truth—at least not until Nick added that “Little Al controls most of the action around Jersey.”

Einstein once said, “No one could possibly win at roulette unless he steals money from the table while the croupier isn’t looking.”

To try to prove Einstein wrong, Nick took him to a roulette table in the casino and placed a bet on red.

Red came up, and Nick continued to place a further two bets on red, reinvesting his winnings.

Both bets won, and Nick turned to Einstein with a smile and asked him if he had any questions.

“Just one,” he replied. “Could you give me some soap so that I can wash my mouth out?”

Needless to say, Nick the Greek left an impression on one of the cleverest men in the world, just as he did with most people that he met.

Double or Quits

An example of the mind games that Nick employed in order to intimidate his opponents was evident in a game of poker he played against an unknown Texan.

In the early hours of the morning, after a full day of poker, Nick was in profit to the tune of $1 million.

Feeling tired, he decided to call it a day, end the game, and bank his winnings.

The Texan was far from amused and proceeded to accuse him of having no bottle, or words to that effect.

Nick responded by shuffling a pack of cards and inviting his opponent to cut the cards, with the highest card winning, double or quits.

Needless to say, his opponent refused the offer, and Nick walked away from the table with a profit of $1 million.

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Nick the Greek proved beyond doubt over the years that he was more than prepared to engage in marathon games of poker.

He knew that many a player would retire or make bad decisions because of sheer fatigue. His stamina was one of his main strengths.

Nowhere was this more evident than in 1949, when as a 66-year-old, Nick took part in the most famous heads-up poker game ever against another gambling legend, Johnny Moss.

The game had been arranged by Benny Binion, and it was played in the foyer of Binion’s Casino, with the general public invited to watch.

The difference with this particular game is that it lasted for five months.

Not for a few days every week for five months, either—every single day.

The only breaks that either of the players took were to sleep.

Johnny Moss was a renowned high stakes player, and when he won on a hand of 5-card stud after five months of playing, Nick had had enough.

He stood up, shook Johnny Moss’s hand, and uttered the now immortal words,

“Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.”

Accounts differ regarding how much money was lost and won during that amazing five-month period.

According to some of the press pack who were following the proceedings, Johnny Moss had won over $2 million.

Nick never really commented on the considerable amount of money that he had gone on to lose. But Moss estimated his winning to be nearer the $4 million mark.

The interest and press coverage of this game prompted Binion to set up the World Series of Poker.

Other People’s Money

As Nick the Greek’s reputation grew, he had plenty of offers from successful businessman to bankroll him.

This was usually in return for a cut of the winnings. But in some cases, just the kudos of being involved with this famous poker player and the bragging rights that went with it were enough.

Even though Nick was a renowned poker player, his favorite card game was faro.

Faro is rarely played these days, but it was popular then, easy to learn, and fast-paced. It was hugely popular in the Old West.

Unlike most games of chance, the skilled faro player could move the odds in his favor. This is what attracted Nick to the game.

He once persuaded the film producer Carl Laemmle (the man who started Universal Studios) to bankroll him for a marathon faro session in Reno.

Unfortunately for Laemmle, it wasn’t a session that went Nick’s way, and he ended up losing the entire bankroll.

A Gambling Career Comes to an End

Toward the end of Nick the Greek’s gambling career, he was on a downward spiral.

Is Nick The Greek Halal

He had gone from playing marathon games of poker with huge stakes to playing $5 limit poker games.

“It’s action, isn’t it?” was his reply when asked what it was like to play for such low stakes compared to what he had been used to.

He always told people that he was younger than he really was, but he died on Christmas Day, 1966, at the age of 83 years old.

Conclusion

Nick the Greek was a clever man and an inspirational gambler.

He found an edge in various forms of gambling and exploited it.

Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, interviewed Nick the Greek about his attitude and success towards gambling and came up with the following conclusions:

• Nick took the time to ensure that he knew the exact odds of the hands that he was playing.
• Many of the people he played against, as strange as it sounds, relied on various forms of superstition.
• Nick’s reputation also played a major part in his gameplay, with his competitors often feeling intimidated by his presence.
• His weakness was the need to gamble at every opportunity. This meant he also played when the odds weren’t in his favor.

Throughout his career, he managed to leverage the odds in his favor at times, win and lose staggering amounts of money, intimidate his opponents with his reckless antics, and accumulate a surrounding of fascinating stories. For these reasons, Nick the Greek is not only a gambling inspiration but also a gambling legend.

Opening a new restaurant has never been easy.

Anton Van Happen did it during a global pandemic — and just two days after restaurants in Ventura County were given the go-ahead to offer limited dine-in seating.

'Our plan three or four weeks out was to just focus on delivery through DoorDash. When we heard that Ventura County was going to open things up, we decided to go for it,' Van Happen said of unveiling the first Nick the Greek location in the 805.

Preparations for the restaurant's May 23 debut in downtown Ventura saw franchisee-owner Van Happen removing three tables from its roughly 600-square-foot dining area and placing social-distancing stickers in a path leading from the sidewalk to the order counter.

The event coincided with Memorial Day weekend, keeping Van Happen and his team of 11 employees busy as holiday visitors experimented with dining in public for the first time after two months of self-quarantine.

MORE: These Ventura County restaurants have helped make staying at home bearable

Most patrons preferred to do that dining 'to go,' Van Happen said.

Amid the steady stream of orders for gyros, souvlaki and Greek fro-yo sprinkled with baklava, top sellers included the beef/lamb gyro pita served with tzatziki sauce ($9.95) and Nick's Fries ($9.95), topped with feta, garlic, spicy yogurt and diner's choice of any gyro meat or falafel.

The San Jose-based chain was launched in 2014 by three cousins named Nick. Co-founder 'Big Nick' Tsigaris stayed at the Ventura site through this week to help guide preparation of what he called its menu of 'Greek street food.'

That food is what inspired Van Happen to open his first restaurant. The entrepreneur previously operated of A Touch of LV Spa in Las Vegas and served as CEO for a Redwood City-based firm that specialized in car washes using a single cup of water.

Born in Hong Kong to Dutch-Filipino parents, Van Happen grew up enjoying döner kebab throughout Europe. 'The softness of the pita, the succulent quality of the meat — Nick the Greek is the closest you can get to that here,' he said. The chain's attention to branding detail and its focus on grab-and-go service — the latter a hallmark of the döner shops of his youth — were other attractions.

© ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR 'Big Nick' Tsigaris, co-founder of the Nick the Greek chain, lends a hand during opening week of the restaurant's location in downtown Ventura. Tsigaris is one of the three 'Nicks' who founded the restaurant in the Bay Area in 2014.

The chain now has 12 locations in Northern California, with Van Happen's business marking its first step south. Sites in Newport Beach and San Diego are described as 'coming soon.'

The Ventura restaurant's Main Street address was previously occupied by Burgerim and by Subway before that.

'We signed our lease knowing that the coronavirus was starting and happening, but before we knew about the stay-at-home guidelines. We continued construction because our food is not expensive and everyone still needs to eat,' Van Happen said. 'Now we're focusing on building our reputation in the community.'

Is Nick A Greek Name

© ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Nick the Greek franchise owner Anton Van Happen, right, and Selah Willms serve customers on May 26. The restaurant opened in downtown Ventura just days after new dine-in guidelines took effect.

Walk-in and online ordering are both available for takeout, the latter via https://nickthegreek.square.site. Third-party delivery is through DoorDash and Uber Eats.

© ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Anton Van Happen is the owner of Nick The Greek in Ventura. The restaurant opened on May 23.

Nick the Greek's current hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays (440 E. Main St., 805-667-8580, http://www.nickthegreeksj.com).

Meanwhile, Sage Vegan Bistro marked its soft opening May 20 at the Whizin Market Square space formerly occupied by Hugo's in Agoura Hills. The restaurant's Los Angeles County address makes it ineligible for dine-in service as of this writing.

Instead, Sage's plant-based menu featuring tofu-veggie scrambles ($15), jackfruit 'carnitas' tacos ($16) and mole bowls ($17) is available for pickup from a dedicated to-go counter with its own entrance. Patrons will also find cocktails and beer to go. The latter includes selections made at Sage's brewery-restaurant location in Echo Park.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: L.A.-based Sage Vegan Bistro is headed for Agoura Hills (2019)

Attn, vegans and omnivores: That Sage Vegan Bistro project I wrote about back in December is now open for #takeout in Agoura Hills. (Shown here: jackfruit ‘carnitas’ stuffed avocado.) https://t.co/bzz6JbCTex 🥑 @thekindsage#vegan#ConejoValleypic.twitter.com/y7vxeCT3Xu

— Lisa McKinnon (@805foodie) May 24, 2020

Founder and executive chef Mollie Engelhart also operates Sage restaurants in Culver City and Pasadena in addition to growing organic avocados, hops and other crops at her Sow a Heart Farm in Fillmore. One of her responses to COVID-19 has been to team with Ayala Farms of Oxnard to create CSA (community supported agriculture) boxes of produce for pickup and/or delivery. For details, click on https://www.sowaheart.com.

Nick The Greek San Carlos

Sage in Agoura Hills is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays (5046 Cornell Road, 818-707-0300, https://www.sageveganbistro.com).

Doing limited dine-in

Eggs 'n' Things in Camarillo, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura: Temporarily closed since March, the local chain reopened May 27 for takeout and limited dine-in service. Hours vary by location (https://www.eggsnthings.net).

Reopening 🚨: Eggs ‘N’ Things restaurants in Camarillo, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura are OPEN for takeout and limited dine-in as of today, according to a spokesperson for the local chain. https://t.co/qXKHtxTITMpic.twitter.com/tesK1zdD1C

— Lisa McKinnon (@805foodie) May 27, 2020

Fluid State Beer Garden in Ventura: After adding limited dine-in service to their existing online ordering system for takeout on May 21, owners of the craft beer-focused restaurant emerged from a hectic Memorial Day weekend filled with apparent out-of-town visitors to announce a new policy: On weekends starting May 29, prospective dine-in patrons will be asked to show proof of residency in the 805 before being seated indoors or on the patio.

An explanatory message posted on Fluid State's social media pages reads, 'While we've had tons of support over the years from tourism, it's our local(s) who have truly made us who we are.'

Takeout orders for all will continue to be available at the to-go window on the Fir Street side of the building. Fluid State is open from noon to 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays and 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays (http://www.fluidstatebeer.com).

Well, knock me over with a feather: Oxnard’s @goldencorral on Wednesday introduced limited dine-in seating for its all-you-can-eat buffet. To-go orders also available. pic.twitter.com/Cta4JNvpvF

— Lisa McKinnon (@805foodie) May 28, 2020

Golden Corral in Oxnard: The all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant opened for limited dine-in service on May 27, according to the chain's website and a follow-up phone call. (Diners can expect to have their temperatures taken before being seated; masks are required when you're not at your table.) Online ordering and takeout are also available. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (https://www.goldencorral.com).

Victoria Pub & Grill in Ventura: Temporarily closed since mid March, the British-themed restaurant reopened May 27 with limited dine-in service and takeout from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily (https://www.victoriapubandgrill.com).

Reopening for takeout

California Pizza Kitchen in Ventura: Temporarily closed since March, the restaurant at the Pacific View shopping center is scheduled to reopen May 30 for takeout, curbside pickup and delivery from its regular menu. New offerings include family-meal packages and DIY meal kits. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (https://www.cpk.com).

Permanent closures

Marilyn's Mediterranean Kitchen in Simi Valley: Owner Marilyn Siracusa announced in a May 27 post to the restaurant's Facebook page that the 5-year-old business at 2810 E. Los Angeles Ave. will not reopen. 'Due to the new requirements placed by the county in regards to COVID-19, it is not feasible for us to open with only 2/3 dine-in tables, since we are a small establishment.' The focus will instead be on the adjacent West Coast Seafood, a sister store 'that has been in our family since 1979,' Siracusa added.

Romano's Macaroni Grill in Simi Valley: The chain's last Ventura County location discontinued service on or around May 21, the date on which emails announcing its closure at 2920 Tapo Canyon Road were sent to patrons.

The email contains mixed messages: The subject line reads 'Our Simi Valley Location has Closed' but the body of the email includes the words 'Our Simi Valley Location is Closed at This Time.' It also suggests that patrons travel to the nearest Macaroni Grill — in Bakersfield.

Simi Valley is no longer listed on the chain's corporate website. The restaurant's phone number still worked as of May 29, when calls were answered by an automated message. The corresponding voicemail box is full. Emails sent to the chain's marketing department this week were not returned.

The closure marks the end of Macaroni Grill's more than 20 years of business in the region. Its Thousand Oaks restaurant at The Promenade at Westlake closed in 2013, followed by the Ventura location in 2017. According to the chain's website, Macaroni Grill currently operates 48 restaurants in 17 states (https://www.macaronigrill.com).

Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. To contact her, send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Open and shut: Nick the Greek, Sage Vegan Bistro open amid COVID-19 restrictions