ShowsAngelo Papadopoulos
Restauranteur, Entrepreneur, Purveyor of the CLASSIC Flint Coney and a Flint, Michigan Icon April 12, 2023 Sadly, Angelo Papadopoulos recently passed. But we were fortunate enough to have Angelo into The Aquarium for an interview and conversation about his life and times as the owner of the world famous Angelos Coney Island last year.
We have lost a giant. Family was everything for Angelo Papadopoulos. Starting with his wife, his kids, and grandchildren. But certainly not ending there. He loved his extended family too. And it was no ordinary extended family. As one of the principal owners of Angelo’s Coney Island in Flint, he played a role in the lives of countless thousands of extended family members. From high level executives to assembly line workers, from doctors and senators to professional athletes, from kids who were celebrating selling Girl Scout cookies, Little League trophies, and Science Fair wins, to Olympic athletes celebrating Gold medals. He turned no one away. Head of a major division at General Motors? Grab a seat next to the down-on-his luck guy struggling to scrape up some cash for one up and some fries and gravy. Egalitarian. Equality. Community. Those three words sum up the DNA that made Angelos the symbol of the gritty East Side neighborhood it inhabited. And what a symbol it was. Like Angelo the man, it stood for home and hearth, loyalty and love, and above all- predictability. You knew what you were going to get with Angelo the man and Angelo’s the Coney Island. If Angelo’s stood for all of that it’s because its workers did too. The cooks and servers, the guy stirring the sauce and cutting the onions. And if they did, it’s because the leadership did. It’s because Angelo Papadopoulos did. For me it was a second home. Great food. Excellent service. Two blocks from my house. But Angelo the man made it feel like it was two steps from my home kitchen. That feeling can only come from a place of love, concern and caring. That’s what Angelo poured into the business he co-created. I could smell the food from my back porch. I could hear the sound of the chaotic dining room, and taste the coney sauce before I ever walked in the door. Heck, I can taste it as I type these words! Those intangibles are so clearly ingrained in the beating heart of my neighborhood that Angelo’s inhabited. But it was especially evidenced in the presence of the omnipresent man in the blue Angelo’s baseball hat, tie, and white apron. A man who knew his way around a griddle and a bun. Skills and talents to be sure. But none of those attributes compared to his big heart, his generous spirit, and undying commitment to The American Dream. He lived that dream, and made our neighborhood, our city, and our lives exponentially better as a result. We may never see the likes of him again. We were blessed to know him at all. Thank you Angelo Papadopoulos. A grateful extended family sends prayers for Godspeed to your next destination. In your case it’s undoubtedly ONE UP! ☝️ |
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