Costas Inn, located at 4100 Northpoint Blvd., was opened by Costas N. Triantafilos in 1971.                                          

photo by Roland Dorsey

Local landmark has risen to prominence

by Nicole Rodman

A living example of the “American Dream”    come true, Costas Inn owner Costas Triantafilos arrived in America from his native Greece on Sept. 21, 1955.
    Living with his parents in Edgemere for a time, he eventually settled down in Gray Manor, marrying and raising three children — Peter, Nick and Christine.
    After spending a number of years working at his uncle’s Jones Creek bar, Triantafilos left in 1970 to pursue his dream of owning his own restaurant.
    Just a year later, in 1971, Costas Inn opened its doors on North Point Boulevard.
    Today, as Triantafilos and his family prepare to celebrate the restaurant’s 40th anniversary, Costas Inn is one of the most famous seafood restaurants not just in Dundalk, but on the East Coast.
    According to Triantafilos’ son, Peter, who serves as the Costas Inn’s chief operating officer, the restaurant initally catered to local employees working at Sparrows Point.
    In the early 1990s, after Bethlehem Steel began laying off workers by the thousands, Triantafilos decided that he needed to change tactics, expanding the restaurant’s menu to include seafood and steaks.
    Adding a dining room, kitchen and steam room over the years, Costas Inn has evolved from its roots as a blue-collar destination to one of the premier restaurants in the region.
    According to Peter, the restaurant’s efforts to adapt and stay fresh have led to praise and recognition from a variety of well-known sources.
    While the restaurant boasts visits from such celebrities as Barry Levinson, Stacey Keibler, Pauly Shore, Brooks Robinson and Rick Moranis, perhaps the Costas Inn’s biggest claim to fame are the restaurant’s appearances on NBC’s Today show with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.
    Appearing on the show twice, most recently in August, brothers Peter Triantafilos and Nick Triantafilos have shared some of the area’s crab culture with television viewers from around the world.
    Even during the recent economic downturn, Costas Inn has remained strong, thanks to the staff’s flexibility and hard work.
    “Business has been good considering the economic times we are in,” Peter said, adding,
    “You have to think outside the box, being creative and flexible to create choices for customers by offering bargains and affordable menu items.”
    When asked for the secret to the restaurant’s ongoing success, Peter noted that the staff’s ability to “adapt ... to respond to current economic conditions,  giving our customers the highest quality available at affordable prices,” is one of the keys to the Costas Inn’s longevity.
    In addition, Peter cites the restaurant’s “dedicated strong family foundation and dependable, conscientious staff” as reasons why, once  a customer visits Costas Inn, they usually return.
    Of course, for Costas Triantafilos and his family, their passion for what they do is about far more than just making a living.
    Named 2006 Humanitarian of the Year by the Optimist Club of Dundalk, Triantafilos has spent much of the last few decades working to support the community that first welcomed him to America.
    In 2003, after hearing of the death of Sparrows Point High School student 
Adam Parr in a car accident, Triantafilos lent his time and talents, catering the student’s wake at no cost.
    A year later, he donated an undisclosed amount to scholarship funds in the names of Parr and two other Sparrows Point students that died between 2002 and 2004.
    That same year, 2004, Triantafilos founded an annual golf tournament at Sparrows Point Country Club. The tournament has raised thousands for students at Sparrows Point. 
    In celebration of the hard work and talent that has made Costas Inn an area landmark, the restaurant will host a 40-Year Anniversary Party on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m.
    Complete with giveaways and food and drink specials, the event will feature music by The Rat Pack.
    For Triantafilos’ son, Peter, the credit for the restaurant’s success belongs solely to his parents.
    “The hard work and long hours of Costas and Mary for the last 40 years has turned Costas Inn into a high profile, successful restaurant,” Peter noted, adding,
    “Costas Inn, being in Dundalk and operating for 40 years, has become an institution and Costas has always supported its local community.”