PROSPECT HEIGHTS — The restaurant will always be Tom’s, but its street may soon be Gus’s.
The staff of neighborhood institution Tom’s Restaurant want to name the corner where the beloved diner stands — Washington Avenue and Sterling Place in Prospect Heights — after its longtime owner, Gus Vlahavas. Vlahavas died in November after decades of running the restaurant founded by his father, Tom Vlahavas, in 1936.
The street co-naming, submitted to Community Board 8’s transportation committee in late May by Tom’s current proprietor Jimmy Kokotas, was approved by the full board last week.
In a statement read before the unanimous vote, CB8 applauded the co-naming, saying Vlahavas’ “warmth, kindness and love — for the neighborhood, for the restaurant, and for each and every customer who crossed his threshold, or stood on line outside of it — was visible to all,” read committee co-chair Robert Witherwax.
“His constant and benevolent presence in this neighborhood spanned generations and will be sorely missed,” he said.
Vlahavas was well-known in the area for greeting customers at Tom's personally, often handing out orange slices, pancakes and coffee for free to those waiting in line for the restaurant's very popular weekend brunches.
The street co-naming will be considered by the City Council this summer, according to the office of the area’s council member, Laurie Cumbo, who's spearheading the push to rename the street. Then, the mayor must approve co-naming before the street can be officially changed.
