Niko's Pizzeria: 500 Greek Chicken Meals This Wednesday Only

JOLIET, IL — Six months ago, one of Joliet's most well-liked restaurant owners, Niko Liappas, dished up 320 Greek chicken meal specials, his all-time one-day record. Now, the owner of Niko's Pizzeria, at 20 Ohio St., is ready to obliterate his previous accomplishment.

This Wednesday, March 31, Niko's is bringing back his Grecian chicken meal as a one-day-only special. Besides half-a-chicken, restaurant customers get Niko's Greek potatoes and Greek rice, all for $7.49.

Niko said he will be making 500 meals, and he intends to sell every single one of them.

Niko's will be selling the Greek chicken meal specials from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What motivated the long-time Joliet restaurant owner to bring back his family's secret recipe from Greece and make 500 individual meals for his latest one-day restaurant special promotion?

"Because of the high volume of customers asking for the Greek chicken I'm going to pull this off," Niko told Joliet Patch during last week's interview. "I'm going to make 500 orders. Either come in and order or call, and we also deliver."

Customers can pre-order by calling his restaurant at 815-722-8800, or you can visit Niko's Pizzeria on the northern edge of downtown Joliet. The Grecian chicken special will only be offered this Wednesday, and when the food runs out, you're out of luck.

Back on Oct. 7, Joliet Patch published an article when Niko's made 300 Greek chicken meals as a one-day promotion. The event was so popular he sold 320 by mid-afternoon and had to stop.

Niko told Patch that selling 500 Greek chicken meals on Wednesday may be a lofty goal, but he's confident he can accomplish it.

"We always run out so fast," he said. "So, we're going to do 500 now."

Keep in mind, Niko and his kitchen staff will be busy selling the Greek chicken meals at the same time that other customers will be visiting to order hot dogs, shrimp, poor boys, burgers, pizza and other items off his regular menu for lunch and dinner.

"Always fresh hot food made to order! Huge variety of delicious food to choose from along with unique items made only by Niko's Pizzeria," his Joliet restaurant Facebook page proclaims.

For Joliet area residents who have never had Niko's special family recipe from Greece, they are in for a treat, he said.

In addition to Joliet, Niko said he typically attracts people from Plainfield, Lockport, Crest Hill, New Lenox, Romeoville and Bolingbrook to order his special Greek chicken meal.

"This is one of the most popular homemade dishes," he said. "People love it and from all over the Joliet area. It's a family recipe from Greece."

As the interview concluded, Niko wanted to have the last word. "Tell people to 'Stay hungry, my friends.'"

Stay hungry, my friends, is his popular slogan.

If you're skeptical whether Niko's Pizzeria will sell 500 Greek chicken meals this Wednesday, keep in mind Niko's has one of the biggest social media fan bases for any Joliet takeout restaurant.

Niko's Pizzeria has 8,955 Facebook followers and 8,633 Facebook Likes.

The last time Joliet Patch wrote about Niko's was in January in an article chronicling how Niko's Pizzeria donates 100 meals to Hope Divine Purpose Transitional Living Home every Thursday.