Our History

In 1972 patriarch, John Rakitzis,immigrated to the United States from Chios, Greece with his wife and three children. With a family to support, John found work at Sleepy Hollow Diner in Tarrytown,New York. In 1982, John found himself unemployed with a family to support, finding work seemed nearly impossible so he decided to take a gamble and move to Queens, New York to open his own restaurant. With limited knowledge of the English language, John sought the hep of his eldest son, George. At that time, George was in his last year of college, nonetheless, he decided to join his father on this venture. On July 26, 1982, father and son opened “3-Star Coffee Shop” in Lefrak City.

The first few years were a struggle, but with the passion, determination, and experience of the father-son duo, the business prospered.In 1984, this once tiny coffee shop expanded and became what is now the Silver Spoon Diner. By 1991, both siblings, Anna & Nick, joined the family business. In 2015, The Silver Spoon Diner underwent another transformation and continues to grow and evolve along with the Lefrak City Community.