Josh Romaker
From left: Jack Kemnitz, Andy Gould, Dennis Mistrioty, Griffin Lynch.
Dennis Mistrioty has been cooking Greek food with his grandfather since he had to use a stool to reach the counter. Now a junior at UW-Madison, Mistrioty and his three roommates have turned an old family business into Greek Street, a fully student-owned and -operated food cart and catering service.
Mistrioty got the catering business rolling first, with cooking equipment and recipes he got after his grandfather, a Greek immigrant, closed his restaurant in Milwaukee. Shortly thereafter, he and his roommates got the idea to start a food cart when walking through Library Mall.
Mistrioty says his roommates, who are also longtime friends, have always wanted to be entrepreneurs. “We wanted to leave college and start the next Facebook,” says Mistrioty.
Once they settled on the idea, the roommates began developing their business. Mistrioty taught his friends to prepare everything from gyros to Greek salads. Also on the menu are chicken and pork souvlaki, as well as a veggie gyro.
They each pitched in funds for the new Greek-inspired cart, which was crafted specifically for them by Caged Crow Fabrication, a cart designing and building business in St. Germain, Wis.
To earn a spot on Library Mall, they entered the city of Madison’s food cart evaluation process, which takes place each fall.
Greek Street placed 29th out of 52 carts and gained its spot on the Library Mall. It’s believed to be the first student-owned and -operated cart to gain a coveted Mall-Concourse spot from the city.
Co-owner Griffin Lynch says it’s been challenging to balance school with running the business. Many people run food carts as their jobs, but for the roommates, Greek Street has to come second to school.
Mistrioty is not sure what lies in Greek Street’s future, but he hopes it will continue past college: “I don’t think it would be a long shot to say that Greek Street could expand to cities beyond Madison.”
Greek Street can be found Saturdays at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square or weekdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., on Library Mall. n
