S.C. Restaurant to Give Free Breakfast to First Responders on New Year`s Day

Dec. 30—The Sialmas family is opening its arms, and it's kitchen, to the Upstate on New Year's Day.

From 6 to 11 a.m. on Monday, Melissa and Christos Sialmas and their staff at Sialmas Family Restaurant will treat all emergency medical, safety and law enforcement personnel from Spartanburg and Greenville counties to free breakfast during the restaurant's grand opening, as a way to say thank you as they ring in 2018 and their new business venture.

"It's how we want to wish them a happy and safe New Year and to let them know that we appreciate their services," Melissa Sialmas said. "They play a big part in our community. Their jobs are an important part of our safety, and it gives them a chance to come over here and interact with customers who are here every day."

The restaurant will also be open to anyone else in the community in the mood for a home-cooked meal, she said. The Greek-style family diner has a menu filled with 24-hour breakfast, pasta and the traditional meat and three option, as well as desserts. Sialmas said everything is made to order and fresh every day.

Inside, the walls are painted a soft white and navy blue, and throughout the large space, welcoming decor like hand-painted wooden milk crates and distressed metal trays hang on the wall.

The restaurant opened quietly in mid-December at 116 W. Main St. in Duncan, which Sialmas said gave her the opportunity to work out the kinks and listen to customers' feedback ahead of the full-blown launch. She said it's a process that will continue as long as they're in business.

"We're already getting some feedback from the local people here and finding out what they want to see on the menu and what they want to see us improve on," she said. "I've gotten some feedback asking that we extend the Greek menu, so we're going to do that.

She added: "It helps us become more successful, and that is going to be a continued part of being in business here."

Sialmas Family Restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week. For more information, visit their Facebook page, facebook.com/sialmasfamilyrestaurant.