Mr. Gyros

Mr. Gyro’s Greek Food & Pastry is a family-owned, four-location Johnson County institution founded roughly four decades ago by Greek immigrants Ted and Soula Jovaras, who opened the first store at 83rd and Metcalf in Overland Park. Soula baked while Ted prepared gyros, dolmades, and dressings from recipes the restaurant still uses today; the business is now run by DeeDee and Chris Jovaras, with their sons Teddy and Alekos in the company.¹²

Locations

Address	City	Status
8234 Metcalf Ave, KS 66204 (original; “83rd and Metcalf”)	Overland Park, KS	open
8575 W 135th St, KS 66223	Overland Park, KS	open
14983 W 119th St, KS 66062	Olathe, KS	open
11707 Roe Ave, KS 66211	Leawood, KS	open

Description

Mr. Gyro’s Greek Food & Pastry is a counter-service Greek restaurant and bakery serving traditional family recipes across four Johnson County locations.³ The signature item is the gyro: warm pita with shaved meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki, also offered as a larger “gyro plate” with the meat piled on small pita triangles.¹ The gyro meat is a beef-and-lamb combination sourced from a Greek supplier in Chicago, roasted on rotating spits, then shaved and grilled to order.¹

Beyond gyros, the menu spans Greek salad with feta and house dressing, dolmades, and a bakery case of Greek pastries including baklava — a holdover from co-founder Soula Jovaras’s original baking operation.¹ The 135th Street location in Overland Park features artwork from the Jovaras family’s native Greek island of Limnos.¹

Ownership and history

Mr. Gyro’s was founded roughly four decades ago by Ted and Soula Jovaras, immigrants from Greece, who opened the first location at 83rd and Metcalf in Overland Park (8234 Metcalf Ave).¹ In the original split of duties, Soula handled all baking while Ted prepared gyros, dolmades, dressings, and other savory items — using recipes the restaurant continues to use.¹

Operations later passed to DeeDee and Chris Jovaras, who expanded both the menu and the footprint to four locations across Johnson County; their two sons, Teddy and Alekos, have since joined the company.¹ DeeDee Jovaras has framed the business’s longevity as a point of pride: “We are one of the few family-owned restaurants in this town that have survived this many years.”¹ Marketing copy describes “over 35 years” serving the Kansas City area.³ The exact founding year is not stated on the operator’s site and is left as a range pending a primary source.

Links

• Official site: https://www.mrgyroskc.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrgyrosgreekkc/

Sources

Disputes

None recorded.

Footnotes

1. The Kansas City Star / Yahoo, “My big fat Greek dish: At this Johnson County restaurant, one meal is enough for three.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/big-fat-greek-dish-johnson-103000007.html — asserts: founded four decades ago by Greek immigrants Ted and Soula Jovaras at 83rd and Metcalf, Overland Park; Soula baked / Ted made savory items; recipes still in use; now run by DeeDee and Chris Jovaras with sons Teddy and Alekos; four locations; 135th St location has Limnos artwork; gyro meat is beef/lamb from a Greek supplier in Chicago, roasted on spits; signature gyro, gyro plate, Greek salad, baklava; DeeDee quote on family-owned longevity. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. Better Business Bureau, “Mr Gyros Greek Food & Pastry — BBB Business Profile.” https://www.bbb.org/us/ks/overland-park/profile/restaurants/mr-gyros-greek-food-pastry-0714-99155653 — asserts: Overland Park-based Greek restaurant; Chris Jovaras listed as owner; corroborates family ownership. ↩

3. Mr. Gyro’s official site (locations/about). https://www.mrgyroskc.com/ — asserts: business name “Mr. Gyros Greek Restaurant”; “over 35 years” serving traditional family recipes to the Kansas City area; four locations. (Site returns 403 to automated fetch; details corroborated via search-engine excerpts and third-party listings.) ↩ ↩²