Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Servos.
Restaurateur and native Houstonian Nicholas “Nicky” was born into the Houston restaurant business. As a third generation restaurateur in the City of Houston, his first taste of the restaurant business was as a child spending time at James Coney Island, a restaurant chain and concept founded in the City of Houston by his grandfather James Papadakis and Great Uncle Tom Papadakis in 1923. The chain was later co-operated by his father A. Louis Servos and his Uncles, Jimmy and Peter Papadakis, until the divesture of the majority of the locations from the family in 1990. Growing up in the family business, he not only learned valuable skills as an owner and operator of a restaurant business in the Houston market but also the importance of entrepreneurship, marketing, family traditions, and community involvement.
In 1994, after graduating from Trinity University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Management, he joined his father in the family business which at that time consisted of one James Coney Island location. Leveraging his education, experience and entrepreneurial spirit, Nicky and his father proceeded to build the portfolio which included five restaurants in the greater Houston Area, including: Sam’s Country Bar-B-Que in 1997, One’s A Meal in 1998, Beef and Bun in 2001, Tony’s Family Restaurant in Sealy, Texas in 2003, and The Original Mexican Cafe in Galveston, Texas in 2007.
After A. Louis Servos’ passing in 2008, he continued the traditions and family values instilled in him by his father and grandfather and is now solely responsible for the operations and growth of the family portfolio. Under his direction, the businesses have expanded their services to include off-site catering, banquet management, and special events.
In addition to his restaurant portfolio, Nicky has also been involved in several entrepreneurial ventures, including co-founding a low-cost health care clinic called Cure Health and Wellness which was featured in the Houston Business Journal in April 2008. The clinic focused on preventive healthcare for working-class patients — both uninsured and insured — and particularly women.
He is also an active volunteer in the City of Houston and is involved with several organizations, including: the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, a 14 year veteran of the Lamb and Goat Auction Committee; co-founder of The Ram’s Club, a 501c3 dedicated to raising money for children’s education, and is a lifetime member of the Young Texans Against Cancer organization; and has donated his time to the Greek Festival for over two decades.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely never a smooth road in the restaurant business, however, we have been blessed to have people like Juan Gomez and his wife Maria, who have been with us for decades and whom we consider family, run our businesses like it is their own.
The Original Mexican Cafe – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As of now, we have divested in many of the operations in order to concentrate on the location in Galveston and getting more involved with the community. The restaurant has been there for 100+ years, so people know about that, but we want to get the word out that we also host events on-site, cater offsite, and are in beginning stages of building a banquet facility to host larger events such as weddings, graduations, etc.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I don’t personally like to define anyone as successful or not…..if you’re happy with who you are as a person, then you’re successful.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1401 Market
Galveston, Texas 77550 - Website: www.theoriginalgalveston.com
- Phone: 409-762-6001
- Email: info@theoriginalgalveston.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theoriginalgalveston
- Twitter: @theoriginalgalv
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
