Call it Greek Chic.
Greek literature was all the rage this summer after the box-office blockbuster “The Odyssey” – based on Homer’s epic poem – opened across the globe. Not only did moviegoers flock to theaters to see the three-hour adventure, but Homer’s 2,800-year-old work also found new life, flying off of bookstore shelves.
And now, Turlock has a new fast-casual Greek restaurant.
Yes, Greece is the word with the opening of Nick the Greek, located at 2870 W. Monte Vista Ave., in the Monte Vista Crossings shopping center – one of the city’s busiest commercial intersections and not far from the Stanislaus State campus.
The restaurant’s most popular offering is gyros – beef/lamb, beefteki, chicken, falafel, pork belly, steak, burger, and veggie. Also featured on the menu are souvlaki (skewers), rice bowls, salads, fries and desserts, such as baklava, frozen yogurt, and loukoumades (think of a donut hole glazed with honey).
Owner Jerry Ajlouny joined the Nick the Greek family in 2017, working at the Redwood City location.
“I was running different stores when they started franchising,” said Ajlouny, who also owns shops in Modesto, Riverbank, Livermore, and Castro Valley, and is mulling the purchase of additional locations. “I was able to buy in a little bit on a franchise and then I kept growing from there. But I started as a cashier.”
The chain was founded in 2012 by three cousins named Nick – Big Nick, Little Nick, and Baby Nick Tsigaris – after their grandfather. When they returned from a trip to their family’s village in Greece, they wondered why California lacked accessible, high‑quality gyros and souvlaki. The first restaurant opened in San Jose in 2014, offering rotisserie meats, charbroiled skewers, Greek fries and more.
Since they began franchising in 2019, Nick the Greek has opened more than 100 locations in California (home to about 70 percent of all franchises), Arizona, Nevada, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas.
The Turlock location opens as the chain accelerates its footprint in Stanislaus County. Nick the Greek opened a restaurant in Riverbank in 2023, in Ceres in 2024 and in Modesto in 2025.
Zaid Smair, who met Ajlouny when they both lived in Texas, is the operator of the Turlock location. He said that while the food is the unabashed star of Nick the Greek, the Turlock location will become known for its excellent customer service, too.
“I’ve always loved customer service and dealing with people,” said Smair, who owns a degree in computer animation and worked for large corporations, such as Mercedes-Benz and Apple. “At the end of the day, this is what I was looking for – more interaction with people.”
“We want to engage our customers, and explain our menu, and make sure all their needs are met,” said Ajlouny. “That care has kind of gotten lost, and we’re trying to bring it back.”
Among the most popular items at Nick the Greek is the made-fresh-daily pita bread, which cradles their famous gyros. Nick the Greek also features party combos, such as the Gyro Box, the Athenian, the Spartan, and the Olympus.
