By LOIS KINDLE
Ray Georgy and his wife, Dina, owners of The Hungry Greek in Ruskin/Sun City Center, are over the moon about the community’s response to the restaurant’s opening in late January.
“We’ve been loved and supported beyond our expectations,” he said. “Thanks to everyone.
“We pride ourselves on quality, quantity and customer service,” he added. “It’s our pleasure to serve you.”
Located in the Cypress Village Plaza at 3802 Sun City Center Blvd., Ruskin, the new Mediterranean eatery is Georgy’s first franchise location and the 11th Tampa Bay location since The Hungry Greek opened in Tampa during the early 2000s. He will be opening his second eatery next year in Apollo Beach and has future plans to expand to Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota.
COURTESY PHOTO
In addition to five salads, nine stuffed pitas and three bowls, The Hungry Greek restaurant offers 10 full meals. Pictured here is its chicken souvlaki meal served with a side of rice and Greek salad, chopped.
Georgy, 45, employs 27 people in the restaurant, all but one of whom live within a couple of miles.
“We employ locally because we want to help the economy,” Georgy said.
Staff members work in teams of 12 to 13 per shift in an open kitchen, where customers can see their food being prepared.
The eatery is managed by Chip Depew.
The Hungry Greek features 100% healthy, fresh dishes prepared from original Greek recipes. Its menu items are made from scratch, in-house.
These include five salads, three bowls and nine stuffed pitas, plus nine meals that come with a Greek salad or soup and pita bread. There are 10 gluten-free and six vegetarian options.
Customers have the options of adding falafel, a gyro, grilled chicken or shrimp or salmon to any salad or bowl and a side of French fries, potato salad, cup of soup, Greek fries or a Greek salad to any pita order.
There’s also a kids menu, sides and three desserts – baklava, rice pudding and Greek pastries.
“I loved it,” said Sun City Center resident Debbie Caneen. “It’s so nice to have this option nearby for fresh, healthy food. The Greek salad and spinach pie were fantastic and the baklava, incredible.”
Christene Rogers, also of Sun City Center, shared similar comments.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Dina and Ray Georgy, owners of The Hungry Greek, invite you to come try their authentic, always fresh Greek food, made in-house and happily served in generous portions. Originally from Egypt, the couple came to the United States when they were teenagers
Dining with her husband outdoors on the patio the day after The Hungry Greek opened, she found the eatery “very pleasant, bright and inviting.
“I thought it was a wonderful, counter-served small business,” she said. “My husband loved the avgolemono soup and said he’d order it again. I had a gyro, which was large enough for two. The Hungry Greek is somewhere to go for a nice meal. The prices are very good.”
The Hungry Greek customers can dine indoors or outside on the patio, order take out or have their food delivered through Uber Eats, DoorDash or Grubhub. To expedite service, they can order ahead at https://thehungrygreek.com/menu/. All major credit cards, cash and Apple Pay are accepted.
CHRISTENE ROGERS PHOTO
The Hungry Greek Restaurant, 3802 Sun City Center Blvd., Ruskin, is in the Cypress Village Plaza, where The Home Depot is located. The eatery offers both indoor and outdoor dining, takeout and delivery.
Gifts cards, catering for any size event and franchise opportunities are available.
The restaurant is open seven days a week. Business hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, call 813-729-6001.