It’s just a regular Monday morning at Skid's Restaurant.
Tucked away between the Circle K gas station and the Park Place apartments on West Haggard Avenue, the restaurant was in the middle of the breakfast rush. The beeper attached to the door was constantly chirping, alerting the wait staff to more customers. They were quickly greeted at the door by wait staff with friendly smiles, pleasant conversation and a cup of their usual beverage, ranging from hot coffee to sweet tea.
This year, the restaurant will celebrate its 15th anniversary at Elon. Glenda Robertson has been a server at Skid's since the restaurant opened on February 22, 2003.
“It’s been a fast 15 years,” Robertson said.
Robertson said the work has always been overwhelming, with a mix of locals and students filing in and out for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Initially, the crowd was drawn in by name recognition. The property was originally a Hardee’s and now-owner George Katsoudas planned on leasing out the space as an investment.
Katsoudas said he realized Elon was missing a restaurant with diner-style food. The restaurant business and the name Skid's came from Katsoudas’ childhood. In the 1960s, Katsoudas’ father emigrated from Greece and worked at the Skid's on North Church Street in Burlington. He later bought the restaurant from the original owners in 1982. Katsoudas asked his father for permission to use the same name at the new Elon location.
Fifteen years later, he admitted the place has changed a little, but Skid's remains a “true neighborhood local place."
Katsoudas said his wait staff, including Robertson, Marianne Everett and Janice Champion, are there to make people feel like family, whether it’s remembering their faces or beating them to the punch by knowing their usual order.
Robertson said working for Katsoudas and the people she serves every day has made the environment a great place to work.
“They come back for the food and the company,” Robertson said.
Richard Lambert is one of those people who kept coming back. Lambert said he doesn’t remember exactly when he started going to Skid's, but estimated between five to six years ago. He said he joins a group of regulars three times a week between 7-7:30 a.m. Lambert said they even have a group text to plan when to go.
“We just kind of text each other, 'Are you coming to Skid's?'” Lambert said.
The wide-ranging topics of conversation at the table lasted the full hour and a half.
“Sports, you name it that’s what we talk about,” Lambert said.
“It is a social mecca,” said Mike King, another group regular.
Steve Waltman graduated from Elon in 1989 and said he has been a customer for the whole 15 years. Waltman said his breakfast at Skid's breaks up the monotony of the day.
“It's a place you can come and meet, solve the world’s problems," Waltman said. He also wants to support his friend, Katsoudas.
“That’s what being a friend is, supporting in any way," said Waltman.
Katsoudas said he expects the place to change again in the next 15 years. He said he wants to add outdoor seating, as well as make minor menu changes and fix up the building a bit.
However, the daily routine is still the same. By 10 in the morning, the breakfast rush has died down. Table conversations have been replaced by the music from the radio as the staff prepares for more customers for lunch. Robertson said people can still expect “good service, a smile, a laugh” from this Elon establishment 15 years later.