By Alex Robinson
Winning the Citi Small Business Call Ups program was a home run for Giorgios Aspiotis and his Forest Hills restaurant Corfu Grill.
Business has never been better for the Greek restaurateur, who beat other eateries in the crowd-sourced contest for the right to open a location at Citi Field for the season.
“It’s given me a lot of publicity,” he said. “My business is doing great. I see more excitement in my customers. They are even more excited to visit the place and be part of the restaurant.”
Aspiotis said that while it is hard to tell exactly how much extra business he is getting, as summer months are usually busy, he has seen a lot of new faces coming into the restaurant this year.
“I’ve got new customers coming in saying they saw us at Citi Field,” he said.
Since the Fourth of July weekend, baseball fans have been able to try Aspiotis’ chicken kebabs, gyros and humus in the ballpark’s grand concourse.
The satellite location serves only the three options from the regular menu at the moment and is staffed by employees from Aramark, the stadium’s food contractor.
Aspiotis’ original restaurant, at 70-17 Austin St., has been open for 10 years and serves a full menu of authentic Greek fare, from moussaka to baklava.
The Citi Small Business Call Ups program was an experiment in crowd-sourcing, as it gave New York Mets fans the chance to vote online for one of three restaurants they wanted to see at Citi Field. The contestants were chosen from Citi Bank’s small business clients in what the bank called an effort to showcase some of the city’s independently owned cuisine.
Corfu Grill was up against Lady M Confections, a Manhattan boutique bakery, and Ceetay, an Asian fusion restaurant in the Bronx. Of the 11,500 people who voted in Citi Field’s inaugural competition, 47 percent voted for Corfu Grill.
The restaurant will now get to serve its food out of the ballpark until the last home game of the regular season Sept. 28.
“I was very happy they picked me and I’d like to thank everybody who voted,” Aspiotis said. “I want to thank everyone who appreciates my hard work and my business in Forest Hills.”
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
