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Cafe Thrives On Word Of Mouth

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By JASON GEARY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2007

Updated: 10/29/2007 09:44 pm

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - The end of the work week is busy for Anderson Road Cafe.

'It is packed,' said regular patron Lynn Parketon-Davis, 54, of Tampa. 'You can hardly get a seat on Fridays.'

The smell of fish frying in the kitchen wafts out to greet customers. The popular Friday dish also comes with french fries piled high in baskets lined with wax paper.

In a matter of a couple of hours, the eatery goes through 100 to 125 pounds of fish.

Parketon-Davis said she and her husband, Grady, began going to the restaurant about two years ago.

'We go there almost every day now,' she said.

The eatery is tucked away on Anderson Road and Idlewild Avenue.

'We are off the beaten path a little bit,' said F.T. Pavlakis, who has owned and operated Anderson Road Cafe for 14 years.

Pavlakis, 38, said he prides himself on letting word of mouth drive his business.

He enjoys working with average folks including factory or officer workers who aren't too fussy and just want tasty food at a reasonable price.

'These guys don't get huge raises every six months,' he said.

The surrounding businesses provide a steady stream of customers on most days of the week, he said.

'It's a workman's place to eat,' Pavlakis said, adding that the menu features 'a little bit of everything.'

Breakfast offerings include omelets, pancakes, French toast and biscuits and gravy. Along with daily specials, lunch items include hamburgers, steak, spaghetti and meatballs, sandwiches and gyros.
Pavlakis spent about 10 years working at his father's seasonal seafood restaurant, Pilgrim's Kitchen in Cape Cod, Mass.

'I just kind of grew up in the business ... I learned stuff you can't learn in a book,' Pavlakis said.

Over the years, Pavlakis said he would travel down to Florida in the wintertime with a friend, and that's when he began thinking about starting his restaurant.
Pavlakis credits his employees with making his customers feel welcome and satisfied.

After about 1 1/2 years, Pavlakis said the restaurant began to turn a profit. He continues to invest about a dozen hours of work each day, mostly in the kitchen, with the exception of Sundays, when the cafe is closed.

For a while, his wife, Ann-Marie, worked at the restaurant. She is a teacher at the school where their three sons attend, St. Lawrence Catholic School.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Anderson Road Cafe

WHERE: 6002 Anderson Road
HOURS: On Monday through Friday, breakfast is served 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; on Saturdays, breakfast is available from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., and lunch is available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; closed Sundays

INFORMATION: Call (813) 881-9126

Reporter Jason Geary can be reached at (813) 865-1505 or jgeary@tampatrib.com.

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