We were encouraged upon arrival to see a big neon sign in the window advertising Brooklyn Lager, an unexpected treat in these parts. The George's Empire stretches across the building — with a takeout section, two or more dining rooms, and the Olive Bar off to one side. Surprise! The interior looks like a bar. Rest assured, they have an exposed brick wall or two and plenty of duct work, sporting events on several TV sets and obligatory hanging multi-colored light fixtures over the bar.

What makes Olive Bar so comfortable, however, are the touches of home décor. There's an area of couches arranged around a gas fireplace, non-threatening artwork featuring shelves of library books, and wood cabinetry handsomely displays rows of liquor, spirits and wine. It's like drinking in the basement "rec-room" of any one of the copious mini-mansions across the Farmington Valley. Steve readily admitted that if he were gainfully employed, living in Avon, and neglecting a family of his own, he would drink at the Olive Bar often.

The menu of Italian specialties is endless. We ended up eating a small cheese pizza.
The Olive Bar has live music on the weekends, and the band, the Bus Drivers, were just setting up while we were there. The sound system featured everything from Danzig to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was early in the evening, but the place was very busy and the crowd seemed to be having a nice time.

The Olive Bar features an extremely popular happy hour on weekdays from 3-6 p.m. and most of the crowd seemed ready to stay the night. We bumped into Daniel Johnson, an old friend from Tisane, who was holding court at a table near the door. And since we were in suburbia, we spotted lots of designer eyewear, preppy headbands.

OPENING PRESS RELEASE
Downtown Fixture Invests in Future, Again
Article run in Avon Life

George’s Pizza has been there forever, or at least since just before Emmanuel Psaras and his wife, Aspasia, bought it in 1977.

Their commitment to the location on the corner of Main and Union streets in the heart of Unionville was tested again in 2000, when their landlord was considering an offer from an out of town developer to sell the property. But Mr. Psaras saw the wisdom of holding on to the address and the good will he had built over the years, and ultimately he found a way to buy the real estate himself.

Since 1977 he has expanded George’s Pizza & Restaurant three times, and Is planning a fourth addition, at the urging of his son-in-law. Marc Rietze married Irene Psaras, the oldest child in the family, four and a half years ago. A year ago they had their first baby, Michael Anthony Rietze, ushering in the next generation to grow up in the family business.

Mr. Rietze had been trying to convince his father-in-law for years that the restaurant would benefit from the creation of a lounge, serving appetizers and drinks, and offering comfortable seating and low-key entertainment in the evenings.

Finally, the Olive Bar, which they hope will open very shortly, will occupy the banquet room and expand next door for a total of 90 seats and approximately 2,000 square feet.

From Monday through Friday, the Olive Bar will have happy hour from 3-6pm. It will also provide drinks for the restaurant’s customers, as well as offering an abridged version of the restaurant’s menu in the lounge until 9pm nightly. “I had always wanted to do something like this, Mike has a strong business core, but there is not much nightlife in this area. George’s is an icon in the area, and a new generation of customers is available. People always come back to their hometown and to places they remember,” said Rietze.

When the lease of the massage therapy office next door expired, Mr. Rietze and his father-in-law decided the timing was right to expand. Mr. Rietze will be managing the new part of the restaurant, which has been designed by Maria Zawadzki from H2Z designs from Harwinton, and has been approved by the town.

“We want to have a foothold on the market when Unionville center is revived. The redesign of the center will only benefit us and the casual atmosphere of the Olive Bar will add another thing for people to do here,” said Mr. Rietze. The 34 year old business man met his wife when they were both working as analysts at the now bankrupt Ames Department stores, corporate office. He has also worked in restaurants and as a manger for such retail operations as Banana Republic and Filene’s Department stores.

An energetic professional, he has a great deal of experience dealing with customers as well as handling the flow of merchandise, or in this case food product, from supplier to consumer. Mrs. Rietze grew up doing whatever had to be done in the family restaurant on a given night, from waiting on and bussing tables to helping with food preparation. She attended Skidmore college. After a short stint with Ames, she went back to school to earn here masters in education, and has been teaching 4th grade at Kennely School in Hartford.

Mr. and Mrs. Psaras, known as Mike & Aspi by their regular customers, emigrated to the U.S. in the 1960’s and still have family in Greece. They are both warm and outgoing people who have devoted a great deal of themselves to their business, utilizing the strong work ethics and values they learned at home. Mr. and Mrs. Psaras, who live in Avon, also have two other children, including a son named George, who is in the process of completing and MBA. His father hopes that he will bring his business training to good use in the family restaurant. The youngest daughter, Dimitra, is a sophomore at Avon High School and has continued the family tradition of helping in the restaurant.

“I want to pass the business on to the family. Why would I sell it? My three children have all been involved in the business, as well as my nephews, and now Marc,” Mr. Psaras said.

Mr. Rietze is excited about being included in the business. “This is my future and the family’s future,” he said, referring to the Olive Bar concept. “I care most about this now and maintaining the restaurant. I want to do whatever I can to help the business reach its potential.