Costas and George Tsampas with their father’s pushcart. Photo: Tasneem Alghamdi.

When New Yorkers sit down for dinner, King Souvlaki’s staffers spend their time actually feeding New Yorkers, to continue their commitment to serving Greek food on the street.

In the heartland of the Greek-American settlement in Astoria, Queens, sits King Souvlaki on 31st Avenue, a food truck that offers street style Greek food.

Every day, at 6 in the morning, Costas Tsampas, 53, opens the truck and works until the night comes.

Costas, a loud and jokey father of four, and his nephew Antonis, 22, a third-generation Tsampas who also works at the King Souvlaki truck, rarely sit down to a meal, and when they do, Antonis said, “this is an exceptional dinner because we usually don’t sit down for dinner on weekdays.”

Costas, whose role is mostly to supervise the staff, usually takes short breaks to grab a bite. “The truck is our source of everything, both food and income,” said Antonis.

Souvlaki from King Souvlaki Food Truck. Photo: Tasneem Alghamdi.

Souvlaki is the Greek name for shish kebab, a popular Greek dish made of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer and eaten straight off the stick. “It’s my favorite dish and I have it almost every day, since I work at the truck every day,” said Antonis. He can’t leave the truck for a meal unless it’s a slow day and he can take a short break, but that’s not good for business.

The family takes turns at the truck; when Antonis has a morning shift, he joins his uncle, Costas, to share a souvlaki and Greek salad. Often times, Antonis take a quick bite of a pita sandwich while he works.  And sometimes, when it’s not busy, the family gathers in front of the truck, where they have one table with four chairs, to enjoy a King Souvlaki meal together.

Costas like to treat himself to a more serious meal on the weekends, and asks his wife to prepare pastitsio, baked Greek lasagna made of layers of pasta and juicy minced beef cooked in tomato sauce and creamy béchamel sauce.

Five people work at the truck including Antonis, some relatives, and Greek immigrants in Astoria. The business began with a pushcart in 1979, when Costa’s father, Lefteris Larry Tsampas, relied on his wife and other to prepare the food.

Today, “my grandmother no longer works, but we still follow her recipes and share them with the workers at the truck,” Antonis said.

Customers line at King Souvlaki Pushcart. Photo: Tasneem Alghamdi.

Larry’s  two sons, George and Costas, grew up helping their father and they were involved in the business at a young age. After 11 years, Larry retired and his sons took over — and after almost a decade, in the summer of 2013, they were able to buy a food truck.

They now own three trucks, in Astoria and Bayside and a third  for private events. “We bring Greek food to wherever the event is taking place and we do catering,” Costas said.

The Tsampas owned a restaurant in Athens, and their exposure to restaurant business helped them make their new  business successful in New York.

Antonis started working part-time when he was a high school senior.  “It was fun because I’m working for people I know,” he said. “I was mentored by my dad, he taught me the whole thing, how to prepare how to work, he took me through every stage and taught me everything from A-Z,” he said. After graduation, he joined his father and the King Souvlaki team  full time.

Initially, Costas’ dream was to  make money in New York and go back to Greece. But after 30 years in the U.S., and after raising his four children in New York and working for his father, “this dream no longer exists” he said. “It’s my home now, and it’s my children’s home.”

Customers line at King Souvlaki Food Truck. Photo: Tasneem Alghamdi.

King Souvlaki will expand to a restaurant in Brooklyn this summer, and the family plans to have a big opening ceremony to celebrate both the legacy of Larry Tsampas and their fourth decade in business.

Tasneem Alghamdi