The Flagship Diner in Queens: Success Runs in the Family

The restaurant business has always been a busy, profitable and exciting industry. From family owned to huge cafeteria style restaurants, people will always want to spend some time away from home and have a pleasurable time out to be with friends and family.

The Flagship diner has been a family owned establishment since 1965. The diner is located in Briarwood, Queens and has been providing people with quality food and service for over 30 years. It was purchased in 1994 by Fotios Lountcis, Demetriuos Skartsiaris and Vincent Pupplo.

Although the three of them have been at the diner for a while now, they have only been partners since 1994. Lountcis has been with the diner for over 30 years, Skartsiaris, since 1991 and Pupplo, since 1985.

Due to recent economic slowdown, business at the diner has not been doing well. "The economy has affected our business tremendously," says Pupplo. "Also the fact that, a lot of our customers are elderly and in the wintertime they tend to either stay home or leave to Florida .The current scare tactics are also keeping customer's home."

The economy is still a problem for the diner, and one that they anticipate will remain in the coming year. "With the economy the way it is and people being laid off, we are not optimistic about business improving anytime soon," says Lountcis. "The only way business will improve, is if the economy improves. Business tends to be better in the summertime because more people are coming out and the kids are home from school."