Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 | 8:17 a.m.
Most restaurateurs would say they truly love the business they're in, but Yiorgo Aretos has proven it.
Aretos, 28, the owner/operator of Sonio's Cafe & Rotisserie, could have chosen a much more glamorous career based on his talents in the arts.
His spare time is spent promoting local talent as head of his own production company.
He's also musically inclined. He plays three instruments bass, saxophone and piano and croons in the style of Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. It isn't unusual for customers to get an earful of Aretos' warbling on any given night.
He has had political aspirations. He ran briefly for a state Assembly seat years ago, but had to withdraw because his restaurant demanded too much of his time. Fate even gave Aretos the chance to get out of the restaurant business entirely when Sonio's, at the Village Center at the intersection of Valley View and Charleston boulevards, was gutted by an accidental fire in September 2003.
"According to the fire marshal, the fire started in the attic a few doors down from us," Aretos said, adding he was sleeping at home when he got the news at 5:30 a.m. from his alarm company.
"The fire obliterated everything," he said. It took more than a year to reopen the restaurant, during which time Aretos dealt with red tape involving his insurance company and "lost a lot of hair."
But Aretos was determined to reopen before the fire was even extinguished. Talking to a reporter as the firetrucks arrived to put out the blaze, Aretos reaffirmed his commitment to the restaurant.
"I never gave it a second thought," he said.
Music and movies offer fame, but it's the social elements that Aretos craves. Cooking and restaurants, he believes, combine for the ultimate social experience.
"I love the synergy between our crew and our clients," he said. "We don't have the type of customers who will sit down, have a bad experience and never come back. They talk to us, help us make things better, and I love that."
Food has been a communal experience as far back as Aretos can remember. Born to an Italian mother, Marilyn, and a Greek father, Ted, in 1976 in Chicago, Aretos said the kitchen was his favorite place in the house.
"Most kids came home and sat in front of the television. I came home and went directly to the kitchen," Aretos, an only child, said. "The kitchen has always been a social place for me. You never eat alone. You have conversations over food."
While he and his mother had plenty of discussions in the kitchen, they spent the majority of the time cooking.
"My mother was a phenomenal cook," he said. "I grew up in the kitchen cooking. She was 100 percent Italian, but she cooked every type of food."
His favorite dish was her lasagna.
"It was off the hook," he said.
As a tribute to his mother, Aretos hosts annual parties in which guests make their own dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with a variety of ingredients), a nod to his Greek and Italian heritage.
"It's a variation on her lasagna," he said. "I don't serve it in the restaurant. It's something I do purely as a social event."
Aretos got a love of food from his mother, but he got an education in the restaurant industry from his father, who owned more than 30 eating establishments over the course of his life in Chicago, including hot dog stands, pizza restaurants and bars.
Aretos' uncle, Johnnie, has operated Johnnie's, a beef stand, for nearly 50 years in Chicago.
Aretos' first restaurant experience came at age 3. "They put me on a step stool at the pop machine, and I'd pour the customers' drinks."
A quick study, Aretos had experience at all aspects of the restaurant business by age 12. But rather than continue his father's legacy, Aretos decided to pursue another passion: golf.
Going for the green
Aretos began playing golf at age 3, and his talent with a club became evident early, as did his academic acumen.
"I was in preschool at 3, and the teachers suggested moving me up because I was getting bored," he said. "I was 3 1/2 in the first grade. I never knew the difference."
Aretos became fascinated with language, writing short stories and poems from the age of 6. He's learned five languages, including Greek, Italian, French and Spanish, and reads up to nine books a month.
Aretos credits his success in life to his academic head start.
"Had I been in a typical time frame, I may not have been able to accomplish all this," he said.
Aretos was a freshman by age 12, "when golf tournaments started to matter." As much as his parents enjoyed having him work in the restaurants, they encouraged him to pursue sports.
"They never wanted me in the restaurant business," he said. "It's a rough business."
Aretos excelled on the high school golf team, consistently ranking from 1 to 5 in his age group, but he was never sure golf was the career he wanted.
Still, when he entered DePaul University, he wanted a major that would allow enough time to play golf. He chose pre-law communication.
"I had always been interested in law," he said. "And it's helped me greatly in my current business. I draft all my own documents."
He briefly considered becoming an attorney, but an experience in 1996 changed all that.
"An international business lawyer who was one of my professors took a liking to me for some reason," Aretos said. "I used to go to court with him."
During one court case, another attorney made a motion that was struck down by the judge "in a particularly humiliating, harsh manner. It was awful."
"Later that day, my professor said to me, 'If the judge tells you to pull your pants down, you pull your (expletive) pants down,' " Aretos said. "That was the turning point for me. I realized I may not have been able to do it."
Desert dreams
Aretos moved to Las Vegas in 1997 shortly after graduating to pursue a golf career.
"It was the way I wanted to do it," he said. "I was a rabbit, hopping around from open to open to qualify. Having a sponsor didn't appeal to me. I didn't want to work for somebody."
After a year of trying to obtain his PGA Tour card, Aretos abandoned golf almost entirely.
"It didn't feel productive to me," he said. "Golf was never really my personality. I was blessed to have been given the opportunity, but it just wasn't enjoyable anymore."
Ted, who had come to Las Vegas to support his son, had been talking with Aretos for some time about opening another restaurant. In 1998, Aretos did just that, taking over Sonia's at its current location and changing the name to Sonio's out of respect for the previous owner (whose first name was Sonia).
The staff has grown from 10 to 14, and Aretos still does a bit of everything during his 12- to 14-hour shifts. Ted helps out where he's able, mostly talking to the customers.
"He's a fixture," Aretos said. And a character. When asked how old he is, Ted replied, "Forget my age, don't mean nothin'. I'll always be 50."
The remodeled restaurant is housed in one large space, with 32 tables situated on a multi- colored porcelain tile floor (booths are expected to be installed by the end of the month). A separate counter allows extra seating when it's crowded. Mahogany wainscot and trim at the ceiling contrasts with yellowish-colored, skip-troweled walls.
Chicken dominates the California-themed menu, with popular dishes including Chinese chicken salad, Famous Sizzling Chicken Fajitas, the Baja burrito (chicken, beans, guacamole, fresh bell peppers) and, of course, the Whole Chicken Special.
Aretos has won several awards for his chicken, and being out of commission for a year couldn't make his customers forget the quality. The reconstructed Sonio's was reopened in November, and Aretos said it took "about four minutes" for its clientele to rediscover it.
But Aretos is never satisfied, and frequently approaches customers to get feedback. He is creating a Web site, www.sonioscafe.com, to encourage more input and learn more about his customers.
"Food evolves through comments," he said. "The basic menu hasn't changed, but we've constantly added."
The write stuff
Customer feedback has helped Aretos in more ways than one. It's given him the information he needs to improve the menu, but it's also provided useful material for his writing.
In 2002, Aretos wrote, produced and directed "Lickin' the Quits," a movie that deals with everyday addictions "through the veil of American culture," Aretos said. He filmed it almost entirely in his restaurant, and much of the dialogue is based on conversations he's had with (and overheard from) his customers.
"You should write what you know, and this restaurant has been my life," he said. "Regulars here will recognize themselves. I actually wrote some of the roles for customers."
"Quits" was screened at the Charleston Heights Arts Center in October 2003 and picked up by a distributor three months later. The film is scheduled for a nationwide release on DVD soon, but Aretos can't discuss contract details.
The film is the first product of #5 Production Company, which Aretos started in 2001. As much as Aretos loves independent film, his ultimate goal was to promote local talent.
"Artists in this town are lucky if they get a shot at a show on the Strip," he said. "Roles as extras are what these people mostly have. With my company, if you have talent, you're welcome to come audition."
Aretos can't devote as much time as he'd like to the company; it took him a year to film "Quits" because he could only work weekends. But he has a loyal crew, and will continue to operate as long as possible.
"If the film hits, I would stay here in Las Vegas, because this town needs this," he said.
In the meantime, Aretos continues to hone his writing skills, and recently completed a play, "Gemini," which his company will produce as soon as a venue is identified.
Staying focused
Aretos still has plans other than managing the restaurant, including getting married ("If I met the right person, I would do that tomorrow"), running for public office again and giving back to his community.
In addition to participation in the annual Nevada Reading Week (reading to elementary schoolchildren) and "Home for the Holidays" (for which he prepares a Christmas dinner), Aretos is planning a series of fundraisers for the valley's firefighters and police officers.
But regardless of where his talents take him, Aretos said he will remain a restaurateur. He's planning another Sonio's in town, and is looking to open franchises across the country.
He interited his dedication from his parents.
"I had a phenomenal amount of love growing up," he said. "I had wonderful support from family and friends, and I want to give some of that back."
And, he added, "Las Vegas needs good chicken."
archive
