Vanilla poured one last drink for its owner, Thanasis Spanos, on the weekend, with a bottle of “ouzo of Plomari” among the Greek restaurant’s window tribute to its founder.
A glass of ouzo and the opened bottle sits next to a picture of Mr Spanos, white flowers and candles, at the entrance to the iconic Greek restaurant, in Oakleigh’s Hellenic precinct, in Eaton Mall.
Mr Spanos, 74, died last Friday 31 July.
A doyen of the Greek hospitality industry, he also owned Medallion, in Lonsdale St, and Thanasi’s Tavern, in the adjoining Oakleigh suburb of Hughesdale.
Twenty-four, mostly white floral arrangements, adorn Vanilla’s shopfront windows, including flowers from Greek traders in the famous Hellenic precinct situated in Melbourne’s south-east.
Staff and management at Meat Me Souvlakeri, which is directly opposite Vanilla, remembered their neighbour with white flowers and offered their “deepest condolences”, while another bouquet was “from the girls at Curran Showroom”, a fashion and display agency.
Vanilla was closed when Neos Kosmos visited Eaton Mall, on Sunday afternoon, at 4.30pm, but that did not stop passers-by stopping to look at the display, read the cards and pay their respects.
READ MORE: “Thanasis [Spanos] embodied filotimo”
The restaurant is on the corner of Chester St and Eaton Mall, and its two corner shop windows also displayed a notice of Mr Spanos’s death, his picture and words of thanks from his family.
In line with the mourning period, Vanilla will be closed for three days. It will reopen on Tuesday 4 August.
READ MORE: Vale Thanasis Spanos of Medallion and Vanilla
Vanilla pours one last drink for its owner, Thanasis Spanos. Photo: Dora Houpis
A note posted at the window of Vanilla.
