Riverhead Grill

85 East Main Street

Narrator: Tzanos Moustaka voiced by Colin Palmer

I am Tzanous Konstantino Moustaka I was born in Greece, on the island of Lesbos, back in 1891. Came to this country as a young man. Most of the time here in Riverhead I use the name John. That is easier. Like the Meras family at Star Confectionary and many other Greek immigrants, I got into the restaurant business.

I brought the Riverhead Grill to Riverhead in 1932. Like most classic diners of the period, it was prefabricated. The first part was a wood unit that looked something like this diner still standing in Fall River, Massachusetts. It stood on the lot just to west. In the announcement of my grand opening, I promised “Good food, well served, at attractive prices” in the new Riverhead Grill. I also offered “special table service with waitresses for our lady patrons.”

In 1934 I moved the original unit to the rear and converted it to the kitchen you can still see.

Then I brought in a shining stainless steel unit manufactured by the Paramount Company of Haledon, New Jersey. It is typical of the streamlined stainless steel “modern” design developed in the 1930s, the glory days of the American diner, when numerous manufacturers competed with each other to produce the most modern and futuristic structures. The units came on wheels, and you can still see the axels down in the basement.

In the early 1950s, I moved the whole diner was moved about 20 feet eastward to make way for a new building on the west side of the lot. The exterior has been altered a little over the years, but the main body of the diner is all original.

After I retired, the Strebel Family proudly carried on the tradition of homemade food at reasonable prices with friendly fast service. Shoppers in downtown Riverhead could stop here for old favorites like meat loaf, pot roast, burgers, hearty soups, homemade pies and soda fountain treats. It was one of the few places where long-time Riverheaders could usually count on running into other long-time Riverheaders for a friendly chat.