Peter Spyropoulos has opened or owned over 30 restaurants in the Chicago area since the early 1960s, including Mitchel’s Restaurant, Broadway Patio, The Saxony, Beef, n Dogs, Mr. Z’s and Parkview Gyros. Peter has great success stories and a solid reputation to follow. Since 1992, he has owned East of Edens on Devon and Cicero Avenues on Chicago’s Northside; and has kept the consistency of serving great food, including Vienna Beef hot dogs, his famous chicken, and many Greek specialties.
Probably one of the most interesting and noteworthy events was in 2006 when Peter made news by hiring another Hot Dog Hall of Famer, Harry Heftman, who had just turned 100 years old and had closed his own restaurant after 55 years. Harry proudly wore a sweatshirt saying “100 years old and just hired”. Harry and Peter had become friends and one example of Peter’s continued dedication to community and people. He also supports local youth baseball, churches, and police events, and Edgebrook neighborhood causes. Together with longtime managers Nick and Bill, East of Edens has maintained consistent quality and service and long-time repeat customers.
The Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame was created to honor hot dog operations that have achieved longevity and developed into neighborhood landmarks. Out of thousands of Vienna customers over the years, we have recognized just 133 nation-wide since the award was inaugurated in 2006. We are extremely proud to welcome East of Edens as the 134th recipient. We congratulate Peter Spyropoulos, his family, managers Nick and Bill and the entire staff and continue to wish them well.
