Food News
“Nothing is changing except the owners, and we will be here as long as they need us to smooth out their starting point.”
A Beverly roast beef shop that has been serving subs to the community for over 50 years is getting new owners.
Nick’s Famous Roast Beef co-owners Nicholas Koudanis and Nicholas Markos are handing the business over to new owners, according to a Facebook announcement.
“We are 70 and 75 years old, and it’s time to spend time with our family,” Eleni Koudanis told Boston.com on Friday. The wife of co-owner Nick Koudanis added, “Nothing is changing except the owners, and we will be here as long as they need us to smooth out their starting point.”
The Koudanis family opened the Beverly spot in 1975, and has been an iconic North Shore stop for locals and tourists for its simple but effective dishes.
The new owners, “Ted and Tami,” are a younger married couple that plans to continue on the established legacy of Nick’s with the same recipes and name. Koudanis did not want to disclose their last names at the time of publication.
Nick’s Famous Roast Beef was named best roast beef sandwich shop by Boston.com readers in 2024, and one of the best in the country in 2019 by People magazine.
“[It’s] not only the best beef around, but the french fries and onion rings are top of [the] game. There are some other great North Shore beefs, but their sides pale in comparison,” Torin T. from Manchester wrote in 2024.
Co-owner Nicholas Koudanis was sentenced for tax fraud in 2017 after failing to pay taxes on nearly $6 million in cash that he skimmed from the business during a six-year period. Nicholas Koudanis was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $2 million in restitution, while his wife Eleni and their son, Steven, were also sentenced for related crimes.
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Despite legal troubles, customers continued to return over the years for the hospitality and the beef.
One commenter from the company’s Facebook announcement Friday wrote, “Been coming [t]here since I was little. You all have treated my family as your own, you will be missed and hopefully the new owner will continue with the same great food. Thank you for your many years of fantastic service and awesome food.”
“We’d like to thank all of our customers for their constant support, friendship and love that they gave us all these years,” said Eleni Koudanis.
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