In 1996, Nikoleta Konstantakos and her husband, Hristos, opened the famed Chris’ Diner on State Street. With hearty, affordable portions of classic American breakfast dishes, the diner quickly became a beloved staple for both students and the community.
Now, nearly three decades later, Pipe Dream sat down with Nikoleta in a cozy corner booth on a frigid Binghamton afternoon to hear her story.
Nikoleta met Hristos in Greece before both moved to the United States separately around 45 years ago. They opened the diner to support their young family, she explained.
“We have to, because we have our kids,” Konstantakos said. “And we have a lot of bills, and we say, ‘We want to open diner.’”
The diner’s decor, including an Ancient Greek-style mural on the building’s exterior and photos of Greek landmarks and islands, serves as an homage to Konstantakos’ heritage.
Her husband, who had experience cooking for others, took on the role of head chef, operating the grill. Nikoleta handled the soups and the specials, and as their son, Panagiotis, got older, he began to work.
Konstantakos credits the diner’s success to word of mouth, which has built customer loyalty. She described her business strategy simply: “They come, they try, they like it and they always come back.” But her journey hasn’t been without its challenges, particularly stubborn rising costs and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s not as busy as it used to be,” she said. “The weekends, we do get busy now, but people don’t have any money, you know, like people have tough times. Everything’s so expensive.”
“The students do help us a lot, and we’re very thankful for that,” she added.
A family endeavor, Konstantakos said that all of her children started at the diner, and her daughter and younger son went off to college. Panagiotis, her older son, stayed at the diner to help as it started to get busier.
In the past, Chris’ Diner was open every day until 7 p.m., but now, it’s closed on Mondays. Konstantakos said that running a diner was “a hard business.” She used to have nine waitresses every day, but now, she has four.
“It’s tiring,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, yes. But we enjoy it at the same time. We love people.”
The diner is open Tuesday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. It serves breakfast all day and an expansive lunch and dinner menu after 11 a.m. The menu, which spans four pages, features American favorites like fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon and sausage, a variety of omelets, hot sandwiches, salads, pasta and seafood. Customer favorites include the soups, the spinach pie and the entire breakfast menu, she said.
As she and her husband get older, she said having her son work the grill has been a big help. He may take over the family business in the future, she added.
“I hope so,” she said when asked if the diner brought her family closer together.