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Date: 12/16/2020
CHICOPEE – Petros Breakfast and Lunch has been serving Chicopee residents since October 2012. In September of 2020, the owner announced in a Facebook post that the restaurant would be closing. This is when Jon and Halina Novak stepped in.
Jon and Halina were customers of Petros for years. The couple would often stop for Sunday breakfast after church. When the previous owner told them that he was closing, they knew that they had to help.
“It was a feeling like when you lose your best friend in some ways, that’s what it felt like. We were like, ‘no we cannot allow that.’ We are part of the community and we want to resurrect it,” said Jon.
According to Jon and Halina, they looked at each other and decided to do something right off the bat. They then purchased Petros.
“It was very spontaneous,” said Halina.
Petros Breakfast and Lunch reopened on Dec. 15 under the new ownership of Jon and Halina. The restaurant will have both the same menu and the same staff as before the closing.
Over time, Jon and Halina might test a few new products – adding some Polish items to the menu, such as pierogies – and see how customers respond, according to Jon and Halina.
“It’s a good brand, obviously it’s very recognizable. We didn’t purchase it to change everything, we purchased it for what it was,” said Jon.
Over the past few weeks, the new owners have only done minor updates to refresh the space.
“It’s not changes where you would come in and think it’s a different place,” he said.
Jon and Halina Novak are both originally from Poland and now call Chicopee their home. Jon came to the United States in 1978 and went to Chicopee High School. Halina came to the United States about 10 years ago.
Jon currently works at MassMutual and Halina works at Tsubaki in Chicopee. Both owners will continue their careers while managing Petros.
“Because we’re continuing with our careers, that gives opportunities to some of the staff to step up their leadership skills and management skills. We’ll certainly be relying on them, but we’ll certainly be involved,” said Jon.
Both Jon and Halina have previous restaurant experience to help guide them on their new journey at Petros. Fifteen years ago, Halina ran a pizzeria in Poland. Three years ago, Jon established and opened a cafe in Poland. The Novaks still travel to Poland often, though not recently due to COVID-19.
Jon and Halina will keep up with the proper sanitation and social distancing measures needed because of COVID-19. They will also offer takeout to customers who would prefer to enjoy their food at home. When asked if they are nervous about opening during the pandemic, both said they are more excited than anything.
“We have to live and learn to keep the distance and keep going,” said Halina.
Jon and Halina know they are not alone in the struggles they might face during this time.
“Everybody in this business is dealing with the same challenges and I’m sure we will overcome it,” said Jon.
Jon and Halina noted they are extremely thankful to their nephew, Krzys Socha, who has been helping them during the reopening process. Socha has been in the United States Army for 16 years and has served three duties in Iraq.
“He’s a man of good soul,” said Jon.
Both Jon and Halina shared that they would be quite behind and overwhelmed without him.
“In all of this process, he was a godsend to us,” Jon said.
Jon and Halina are still working on creating a Facebook page for the relaunched Petros restaurant. For now, customers are able to get more information or call to place an order at 331-4422. After the Dec. 15 reopening, Petros will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.