Me&You is the newest restaurant in Bethpage, and many are curious about it. Since this new restaurant has opened during a pandemic, journalists from Bethpage High School decided to interview the owner of the restaurant, Fay Arolithianakis.

Me&You was supposed to open officially in March, but due to health concerns related to the pandemic, they officially opened in August of 2020. Along with other restaurants like B.K. Sweeney’s and The Campagne House, Me&You is located right in the heart of downtown Bethpage on Broadway.

 This welcoming restaurant is a great place to go with friends and family. Customers have the option to dine outside while following the COVID-19 guidelines. Therefore, reporters Santina Lonardo and Amalia Lal went through an interview to get the most recent information on this new restaurant. 

The Eagle’s Cry: Why did you choose to open your restaurant in Bethpage?

Fay Arolithianakis: “I’ve lived in Bethpage and I grew up in Brooklyn. My parents bought a house here, the year I graduated from culinary school and that was in 1995. I lived on 58 Broadway and I worked in the city. I worked out east ,and when I came home from work, there were only two restaurants at the time. There was only B.K. Sweenys and the Greek place, but we needed one more place in town. My mom, my dad, my grandmother lives in town and I live on South second street. I wanted to stay close to where I lived, for pretty much the last 25 years”. 

The Eagle’s Cry: Where did you get your inspiration to start a restaurant?

Fay Arolithianakis: ‘I’m the me in this equation and the you are in the kitchen. He was helping someone else open a restaurant and we were both working at the same place. He said to me “you should open up a restaurant” and I’m like “hmm I don’t know about that”. He kind of lit that little fire and then we talked about it in November of 2018 and then I leased this space in January of 2019”. 

The Eagle’s Cry: How has the pandemic affected your business? 

Fay Arolithianakis: “Well we were supposed to open in March but then we officially opened on August 16th, so it set us back about five months. Seating capacity has to be half of what it’s supposed to be. It’s hard but with the warm weather, it’s great. We put a tent in the back and we have actually been really well received by the town. We are doing significantly well at the moment and I think we will do even better [when the pandemic is over]. We are just taking it day by day to see what the people want and what they need, and we go from there. If we can accommodate somebody sitting outside when it’s 30 degrees outside, we put a table out there for them”.

The Eagle’s Cry: Did you always have a dream/desire to open a restaurant?

Fay Arolithianakis: Yes, for forever since pretty much since I finished culinary school.I worked at some really good restaurants in the city for a pretty long time. When I first came back to Long Island after having a job out east and in the city and, I figured I’d stay and open a restaurant for myself.

The Eagle’s Cry: Where did you get your inspiration for your menu?

Fay Arolithianakis: “Me and the you, José, we came up with the menu together. It’s a lot of the stuff I’ve always done through the course of the years and that he has done, we kinda used them and married them together. 

The Eagle’s Cry: What is the most popular item on the menu? 

Fay Arolithianakis: I would say the avocado toast, and then the prosciutto fig salad.

It was a pleasure meeting Fay Arolithianakis and The Eagle’s Cry hopes you decide to check out this amazing restaurant!