Growth Chains: Little GreekGrowth Chains: Little Greek

Alan Snel

At first blush, Nick Vojnovic and Sigrid Bratic might seem like an odd couple as partners of the fast-casual Little Greek Restaurant chain.


Vojnovic, 51, a Corning, N.Y. native, is the gregarious, fast-talking former face of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s sports pub chain, which he helped grow from 30 restaurants to 270 in 23 states during a dozen years as president of the chain’s parent company. He is also the former chairman of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.


Bratic, 38, is a quiet native Estonian who came to the United States in 2002 and two years later bought a small independent Greek restaurant for $135,000 in Palm Harbor, Fla., about 25 miles from Tampa, Fla. Now the chain is looking to expand from four units to 25 stores in Florida and the Atlanta area in the next five years.


Headquarters: Brandon, Fla.

Market segment: fast casual

Menu: Greek, Mediterranean

No. of units: 4

Systemwide sales:
 $2.3 million

Average check: $9
Leadership: Sigrid Bratic, owner and founder; Nick Vojnovic, president
Year founded: 2004
Method of growth: franchising

Competitors: Zoës Kitchen, Daphne’s California Greek, Louis Pappas Market Cafe

Target markets: Tampa Bay, Orlando and Jacksonville, Fla.; South Florida; Atlanta

Website: www.mylittlegreek.com


And the Vojnovic-Bratic team appears to be poised for success.


“Hey, Joe, how do you think we’d do with the Latin crowds in South Florida?” the passionate Vojnovic asked a lunch customer at a Little Greek location in Tampa in early May.


“You’d do well,” the patron advised a smiling Vojnovic.


That’s Vojnovic’s management style — engaging, chatty and always looking for feedback to help improve the meal and dining experience. He’s worked with Chili’s, Applebee’s and Famous Dave’s, and the restaurant industry is in his blood. His older brother is a national restaurant broker, and another brother is an executive at Popeyes.


Vojnovic missed the restaurant business after leaving Beef ‘O’ Brady’s parent company, Family Sports Concepts, in June 2010. Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, a private-equity firm in Los Angeles, had bought the sports pub chain earlier in the year and installed a new leadership team. Vojnovic enrolled in an executive MBA program at the University of South Florida in Tampa. But he still longed to be in the restaurant trenches.


“I enjoy the restaurant industry. If I’m making money, I’ll be even more happy,” he joked.


So Vojnovic sought out a small chain that he could work in and grow. Meanwhile, Bratic wanted someone with franchise and business experience who could expand her fledgling Little Greek Restaurant chain. A franchise consultant brought them together.


Vojnovic invested $40,000 to buy into Bratic’s chain and closed the deal April 27. Bratic is owner and founder, and Vojnovic is president. Annual systemwide sales are $2.3 million.


The partners plan to open two restaurants in north Tampa and one in St. Petersburg, Fla., this year. Franchisees currently manage Little Greeks in Dallas and in Palm Harbor. Eventually, the duo wants to recruit a partner who would oversee other market areas such as Atlanta.


Vojnovic said what attracted him to Little Greek was that the fast-casual concept offered both high-calorie tasty dishes and more healthful meals.


Customers order their gyros and Greek salads at the counter, and employees deliver the meals to patrons’ tables. The average check is about $9, Vojnovic said.


Vojnovic compares Little Greek Restaurant to Daphne’s California Greek, a 60-unit fast-casual chain based in Carlsbad, Calif., which was acquired out of bankruptcy in July 2010 by Wreath Equity LLC and recently changed its name from Daphne’s Greek Cafe.


Little Greek will grow through franchising, according to Vojnovic, who noted that startup costs range from $108,075 to $297,525, including a franchise fee of $22,500.


Lunch was so busy at Little Greek this particular day in early May that a party of four left because there were no open seats. Customers who were able to find a seat enjoyed the food.


“You nailed the lunch crowd,” Tampa resident Steve Saft told Vojnovic. “It’s walk-up, but doesn’t taste like fast food.”


Contact Alan Snel at [email protected]
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