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A new owner will be keeping the tradition of Giorgio’s Pizza alive, but also expanding its reach beyond Monument Circle.
Elif Ozdemir, who operates a Greek food truck, purchased the eatery at 9 E. Market Street for an undisclosed amount with the goal of keeping the pizzeria largely as is.
The purchase allows founder Giorgio Migliaccio to retire.
Migliaccio and his then-wife, Bettina Black, opened Giorgio’s Pizza in 1990. Their Italian-by-way-of-New-York pies have kept 54-year-old customer George Stergiopoulous coming back for more than 25 years. So when Migliaccio decided to retire, he asked Stergiopoulous to help him find a new owner.
“To change [Giorgio’s] into something like a chain, that would be sacrilege,” Stergiopoulous said.
As general manager of The Greek Islands Restaurant in Indianapolis, Stergiopoulous first thought of Ozdemir, his partner in a tourism business providing small group tours of Greece, called “It’s All Greek To Me.”
Stergiopoulous first met Ozdemir, now 31, in 2009. She was a Turkish exchange student working at The Greek Islands while studying to get a degree in computer science.
She’d gone on to earn two more degrees, in chemistry and business administration, before working as a chemist and research scientist. But she wanted something that she could call her own.
“I always wanted to be my own boss,” Ozdemir said. “I’m a person that likes to make choices, and I thought I would be more successful as the decision maker.”
In 2017, Ozdemir returned to the restaurant industry and began operating a food truck called Greek on the Go. Although the last season was more successful than she expected, Ozdemir said she’s shifting gears and looking to Giorgio’s Pizza as her new priority.
Ozdemir purchased Giorgio’s Pizza on Nov. 11. She said she’s keeping everything the same: same recipes, same employees, same pictures on the walls. Ozdemir also took over Migliaccio’s 10-year lease on the 3,000-square-foot space, and she has the option to run another 10.
Her only plans, other than a deep clean and some minor improvements, are to expand the business by launching a new Giorgio’s Pizza food truck that will provide pies all across central Indiana.
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Great place, great employees. Glad to see they are staying.
Giorgio’s has the best slice in town. I look forward to many more delicious pepperoni breadsticks, too. We will miss Giorgio!
Giorgio’s is a wonderful local staple in downtown Indy. Will miss Giorgio but hope the food remains the same. Great place, location and people. Enjoy retirement, Giorgio!
Not good pizza. Not NYC slices either.
Congrats to both Giorgio for his retirement and to the new owner Elif! Love the idea of keeping it the same, as Giorgio’s was a fun and tasty place to eat, and the great location! Good luck to both of you!