Glory Days Magazine Business MVP: Paragon Bar & Grille, Mays Landing

Location/phone: 5698 Somers Point-Mays Landing Road, Mays Landing/609-625-1926 Hours of operation: 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Number of employees: 15 Known for: Daily lunch and happy-hour specials, casual atmosphere and more than eight TVs for watching sports. Owner Demetri Halkias grew up in the diner business and brings decades of restaurant experience to his latest venture in Mays Landing. A 1985 graduate of Wildwood Catholic High School, Halkias continues his family tradition in the food and beverage service industry, but breaks off from his traditional diner experience to enter the bar and grille world. He recently spoke with Glory Days Magazine publisher Dave O’Sullivan about Paragon Bar & Grille. Kristy, left, and Erin are your friendly neighborhood bartenders at Paragon Bar & Grille in Mays Landing. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) Halkias on his start in the business: I grew up in the diner business and just stayed there ever since. I was 8 years old when I started. My first job was cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming the carpets. On the restaurant business nowadays: The economy has changed, prices have changed. It’s just a different ball game now. It’s not like it used to be, it’s a lot tougher now. On the origin of Paragon: I wanted to make a nice, cool place for people to hang out; a nice neighborhood bar. Just somewhere people can enjoy themselves and relax, and I think that’s what we do here. On the toughest part about starting a new restaurant: The renovations were massive, and that was the biggest obstacle. Aside from that, everything is in cruise control. I think everyone enjoys themselves, and we’ve built a nice atmosphere here. On the most enjoyable part of owning a bar: We get to watch a lot of sports here. You don’t have that element in a diner. People are very relaxed and you get to mingle with people a lot. On what sports he is into: Football, obviously, that’s the No. 1 sport, but I love hockey, too. We always have a hockey game on here. On the future of Paragon: I’m hoping to build up the business, it just takes time. I think we are doing a good job, the food is fresh and the menu is top notch. [adsense]