Dino's restaurant owner seeks franchise investors

The Dino's Chicago Express menu might soon become available in places outside Columbia County, but not under the Dino's name.

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Currently seeking investors, owner Dino Dakuras intends to franchise restaurants based on his popular Chicago-style and Greek cuisines offered at his locations in Evans and Martinez.

However, the franchises won't include his name on the restaurants.

"We've got a third location down at the Greenjackets stadium under the name Papa-n-Sons, which we're in the process of getting trademarked," Dakuras said.

The Dino's name already is trademarked by a Minnesota man, forcing Dakuras to seek out a new moniker and logo.

However, faithful Dino's patrons have no need to worry that the name will change at the current sites on Furys Ferry and Washington roads.

"This town has been so fantastic with helping this business grow," Dakuras said. "I'm not going pull the wool over our customers' eyes and rename it Papa-n-Sons and do a new grand opening.

"I just don't think that's fair to my current customers."

Dino's Chicago Express first opened in February 2001 in Martinez. Dakuras' restaurant in Evans celebrated its first anniversary June 25.

Dakuras admitted to enduring a tough first year after opening his first restaurant on Furys Ferry Road.

It was then that he decided to treat his business like a franchise.

"After that first year I made a decision to make manuals, work to keep products cost-effective, established timelines and procedures, put together a training manual and a catering checklist," he said.

About that same time, Dakuras decided to one day franchise his company.

"We felt like we had a concept that would work," he said. "What I mean by that is that we've got Chicago hot dogs, we've got Greek food, a variety of different things, and we just felt it was a marketable product."