Pete Kallas, the owner of Steakhouse 10, the Athenian, Undici Ristorante and Greeks Gone Wild, which just happens to reside next door to the pizzeria, purchased the space on Monday. "I knew when I opened Greeks Gone Wild that I wanted to open something else on the block, and I told the owners of Fuhgidabowdit that if they ever wanted to sell, I'd be interested in buying the place," says Kallas, whose fast-casual Greek/American/Mexican den shares the block with Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, Crimson & Gold Tavern, Spicy Pickle, Zingers and Pete's University Park Cafe.
But while Kallas has the space locked up, he doesn't have a concept. "We're trying to figure out what the neighborhood needs and what the kids want," he says, referring to the collegians who attend the University of Denver.
"We're asking all the students that come into the restaurant what we're missing in this area, and then we'll toss all the ideas around and see what the most popular choice is," adds Kallas, who's also encouraging students and neighbors to post their desires on the Greeks Gone Wild Facebook page.
Kallas plans to unveil the new concept early next year, after a remodel and winter break. And after that, he's rolling out -- you guessed it -- a Greeks Gone Wild food truck. "We're getting the truck built in February, and we hope to get it on the streets at the end of February or beginning of March," Kallas tells me. The menu, he says, will be a streamlined version of the brick-and-mortar joint, with kabobs and burgers.
And he's got his pulse on not just the Denver market, but on Fort Collins and Boulder, too. "We're going to do the Denver truck first, but the plan is to have at least three or four food trucks cruising around the Front Range," says Kallas.
In the meantime, about that new concept: How about a taqueria? You could call it Greeks Gone Loco.
