New Owners Hope To Revive Airport Diner

Chris Denopoulos is the first to admit that he's not an experienced restauranteur. So he connected with a partner who is, and together, they are looking to breathe __

Denopoulos and Matt Carson bought the Route 38 eatery in early October. They haven't made any radical changes to the restaurant, nor do they plan any. Rather, according to Denopoulos, they are looking to steadily build a customer base by focusing on providing friendly service, a comfortable, familiar atmosphere and quality food.

"I'm always looking to see if I see faces in here that I've never seen before. That's great," said Denopoulos. "We love our 'regulars' but we're definitely trying to build it up."

Denopoulos is a Dracut native, who now lives in Billerica. He spent much of his working life in manufacturing, though he also spent some time as a mortgage broker just as the industry tanked.

But that setback gave Denopoulos a chance to re-invent himself and pursue the American Dream from a different angle. He said buying a business was a decision a long time in the making.

"My wife and I had talked for years about doing something on our own," said Denopoulos, adding that the availability of the Airport Diner really appealed to them. "We liked the idea of a breakfast place."

But with no background in running a restaurant, Denopoulos turned to longtime acquaintance Matt Carson, a man with "a ton of experience" in the restaurant industry.

As with most small businesses looking to grow, Denopoulos and Carson look to keep overhead costs low. This means wearing many hats. In the case of Denopoulos, it means one day he might be paying bills and keeping the books, while another day he might be in the back washing dishes.

Denopoulos also has plenty of support from his family, with his wife, daughter and even his grandchildren lending a hand at the restaurant.

__ is open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.