Morris County Restaurateur, Great-Grandfather Dies at 81

You may not have known Panagiotis “Pete” Stavros Kontominas personally, but you knew of his work.

The Morris County resident and restaurateur died recently at the age of 81, according to his obituary.

Kontominas was born in Neapoli, Greece in 1933 and moved to America in 1963. During his time in Morris County, he lived in Morristown, Parsippany, Budd Lake and finally in Whippany.

The entrepreneur began his career as a cook at Cutters Grill in Morristown during the 1960s before opening The Hamburger Depot in town. After that, he started The Coffee Shop in Lake Hiawatha, which ran during the 1970s and 1980s, before building the Budd Lake Diner and Kenvil Diner. He also co-owned the Diner Express in Morristown with his son, Steve.

He is survived by his wife, three sons, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Memorial donations can be made to St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church’s Kids GOYA Program, 1447 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, NJ 07869.