Station Plaza Coffee Shop Celebrates 30 Years of Service

What do you get when you combine quality food, attentive customer service and reasonable prices with a great location with throngs of commuters? The  in Mineola.

For 30 years, the last six at their current location directly across from the , Station Plaza owner Nick Liakonis and his son Billy have been serving residents and workers delicious breakfasts and lunches at affordable prizes in a warm and hospitable atmosphere.

Dining here for many is a lot like getting together with friends and close family members. "Our customers are our friends, that is the way I look at it," the elder Liakonis said. "If I don't see a regular customer for a few days I get concerned. I want to know that they are OK. We are a family here."

For the first 24 years, Station Plaza was located at 93 Mineola Blvd., around the corner from the current location, in a small luncheonette setting. The business moved to 206 Station Plaza North, a 2,200 square foot restaurant with room to accommodate 84 diners in Christmas, 2004.

The diner couldn't be more perfectly situated: steps away from the busy Mineola train station, a block away from , two blocks away from the  and dozens of law firms and other businesses. Liakonis said they get a steady breakfast and lunch clientele as well as take-out orders from rail commuters and students from  who commute to school by train. One former Chaminade student who often frequented Station Plaza when he was a teenager is now a father of six in Rockville Centre who comes to Station Plaza every two weeks with his family.

It's that kind of loyalty and repeat customers that Liakonis says has sustained this business for three decades.

Regulars know all about the quality food. Liakonis says that he only buys the best ingredients for their products, such as Idaho potatoes, which may be more expensive but ultimately will keep the customer satisfied. "I don't worry about if I make money, I want the customer to be happy," he said.

Most of the staff members have worked at the restaurant for several years, some more than a decade, and Liakonis appreciates their service and dedication. "I take pride in that because in this kind of business, if the help is not taken care of, it hurts the business," he said. "When I opened my own business I wanted to take care of them. They work together, they talk to each other. People work for me and they're happy. And they never miss a day." 

Since becoming semi-retired, Liakonis' son Billy, 28, has taken over the business, ensuring it will stay in the family for at least another generation. However, the senior Liakonis is still very visible and says he did not push his son into the business. Billy, who has worked at the restaurant since he was 13 years old, decided he wanted to take over the business after going to college for 2 years. "This is what I want to do," Billy said. "It's an established business and the customers are great."