Constantine Stavropoulos doesn’t like the word transient.
The 42-year-old restaurant owner firmly believes that despite its reputation, the residents of D.C. are more than just a rotating cast of characters that change with the whims of politics. It was that belief that prompted Stavropoulos to open his first restaurant, Tryst, a coffeehouse/bar/lounge combo on Adams Morgan’s hip 18th Street, in 1998.
“Opening Tryst helped me realize there’s actually a community here. People actually live in D.C.,” he said. “Beyond the monuments, there’s more to [the city] than the whole transient, political side of things.”
The restaurant, which is filled with cushy couches and large tables designed for relaxing over a cappuccino or cosmopolitan, was an immediate hit. Eight years later, Stavropoulos has grown his neighborhood restaurant concept from one location and 15 employees to three restaurants and 240 employees.
In addition to Tryst, Stavropoulos owns The Diner, another Adams Morgan hangout, and the year-old Open City, which brought his neighborhood restaurant concept to Woodley Park. While combining a coffeehouse with a bar doesn’t seem out of the ordinary in today’s restaurant market — even such mainstream establishments as Cosi have added liquor to their menu — the concept was fairly new at the time, at least in the U.S.
When visiting a coffeehouse/bar combo in New York City, Stavropoulos was excited to tell his wife about the idea, he remembered.
Today, Stavropoulos’ cafes are staples in their respective neighborhoods for the diverse residents who live beyond the District’s imposing federal buildings.
“My originally target market was 25 to 40 year olds and my friends said that was too wide,” he said. “But I was wrong, [the customers] actually range from their teens all the way up to their 80s. You’ll see a business person sitting next to a student next to an 80-year-old lady on a laptop and then an artist.”
With the success of his three restaurants, Stavropoulos is already scouting neighborhoods for an additional location. And while the neighborhood may be different, the concept will remain the same.
“It’s sort of like Cheers in that it’s a place where people can come together,” he said. “It helps define the community and the community helps define it.”
Constantine Stavropoulos
BUSINESS
» Current job: Owner Tryst, The Diner and Open City
» Last job: Started Construction Management Co. with my Father (The Canal Group)
» Education/credentials: BA from American University (International Business/Finance) & American College in Paris (I think it’s now called American University of Paris — no affiliation to AU in D.C.)
» First job: I had a paper route at 12, but real first job was a Federal Investigator out of college.
» Original aspiration: A musician and/or actor, but only to annoy my parents. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur.
» Career objective: To help define the American Café/Coffee culture before cooperate mediocrity defines it — it’s not too late!
PERSONAL
» Date of Birth: May 22, 1964
» Hometown: Philadelphia – but D.C. is it for me.
» Transportation: Harley (been riding since my early 30s so it’s not a mid-life crisis thing!)
» Favorite restaurant: aside from my own places, Bistro Bis
» Favorite clothier: Gianfranco Ferre with a touch of Target (mostly the other way around).
» Role model: My Father
» Quote: No corporate coffee, no matching silverware. That’s our motto at Tryst.
