After six decades in business, the owners of Le Grec in Trois Rivieres, Montreal, could not help but show their appreciation towards the workers.
Brother-sister duo Dimitris and Ioanna Yannopoulos wanted to “do something special” for their staff by sending them on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Domenican Republic.
The Montreal Gazette reported on the euphoria of the staff upon delivering the news. Waitress Cindy Robert, who has worked in the restaurant for the last 19 years told the Gazette, “When I heard about the trip, I couldn’t believe my ears. It’s just pure euphoria. These aren’t bosses like other bosses, they’re family. They give us gifts when our children are born, they give us bonuses when we buy a house, we play ball hockey together, they’re there through thick and thin.”
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The owners decided to take advantage of the closure of the restaurant due to renovations and take the staff on the 10-day trip that kicked off on 6 January.
Local Canadian news reported on the story, praising the owners, however the Yannopoulos siblings said that the thousands they will pay for the trip are just a show of gratitude to their staff. “We wanted to say thanks to our family of workers. We are sewn into the fabric of this community and into the lives of our workers,” Ioanna Yannopoulos told the Gazette, adding that when she never forgot what made the business she grew up in “a special place”. She points to the workers, with many of the employees at La Grec having spent at least a decade there and two involved in the business for 41 years.
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Le Grec was opened in 1959 by Catherine Xenos and Jimmy Dedopoulos, who passed on the business to their nephew Constant Yannopoulos in 1995. In 2009, he left the business to his wife Rachelle Montour and children Ioanna and Dimitris. The restaurant is famous for having sheep on the property to honour a pet which Dedopoulos kept while growing up in Greece.
