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ANTON'S EMBRACES NOSTALGIA
More than just the facade is changing at Anton's Restaurant. It's got a new couple at the helm. But they're not new to the restaurant itself or the local scene.
It's Tom and Tena Anton and they're returning to the restaurant Tom Anton grew up in. His dad, Bill Anton, started the business about 1960. It's been through various incarnations, including Irving Park Delicatessen and Cellar Anton's and many renovations. And it's where Tom Anton learned the ins and outs of the business before striking out on his own with two other restaurants, IPD Eatery, which he later sold to his brothers, and Mid City Oyster Bar, which the Anton's closed last month so he could return to Anton's.
"I grew up in this place, so it was an easy choice to be able to come back here. I'd always wanted to come back to the place I started," Tom Anton says. "I pretty much jumped all over the idea."
It's a way to go back to his roots, but he says the changes under way at Anton's -- are reinvigorating his father, who will turn 80 this year. Tom Anton says his father has weighed in heavily on the renovations.
"He'll tell us whether we want to hear it or not," Anton says, laughing.
Which is just fine, says Anton, who credits his father with teaching him more than just serving food and keeping the books.
"The two lessons that have stayed with me over the years are don't quit when the chips are down, and don't forget where you came from when times are good," he says.
The restaurant will look different when it reopens in mid March, but many things will remain the same, including longtime staffer Bertie Johnson, whom most Anton's customers know well. She's been there since the restaurant opened.
"There's just so much nostalgia here," says Tena Anton. "I feel like this restaurant is part of our family. This is our heart and soul."
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| 1628 BATTLEGROUND AVENUE |
GREENSBORO, NC 27408 |
PHONE: (336) 273-1386 |
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