Adding to the Food Diversity

In Portland, 30 years ago, there weren’t food options for Tim Martens.

“I grew up in Portland,” Martens said. “We didn’t have the diverse international cuisine young people have today. High School students are spending lunch hour eating sushi and salad bowls as well as specialty burgers and gourmet pizza.”

Martens and co-owner Vince Carich believe the The Gyro Shack will add diversity to the ever expanding tastes of their customers.

“We quietly opened February 2nd to eager customers who had been patiently waiting to try our gyros” said Martens.

Started by Gus Zaharioudakis in 2010, the first Gyro Shack was originally a drive through coffee stand. The food stood out and soon Boise, Idaho, was in love with Gus’s Gyros and his fresh tzatziki, hummus, and fresh ingredients. In 2015 Doug Miller bought The Gyro Shack and began the franchising process in Washington State. While the original gyro still has our lamb and beef, tzatziki, tomato, and onion, the menu has been expanded. It now features such favorites as the Philly, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and The Ultimate gyro.

Of course customers aren’t limited to the 11 different gyros on the menu. Adding or subtracting items is common.

“The combinations are endless,” Carich said. “I enjoy customizing my Gyro. The Chicken Philly is my current favorite.”

Added Martens: “My favorite is the Greek Salad with gyro meat. Our motto is ‘Real Greek, Real Fast’, but we aren’t simply fast food. We use fresh ingredients and make our salads daily. Our gyro meat is sliced fresh off the spit throughout the day.”

The Gyro Shack offers a Greek and a side salad, feta and olives, pita with hummus or tzatziki, and a kids meal. Avocados, green bell peppers, bacon, and kalamata olives are just a few of the items available to add to your gyro.

“Two years ago, Tim and I took our first trip to Boise to visit The Gyro Shack,” Carich said. “When I tasted that first gyro I knew we would be bringing the franchise to Vancouver. What turned out to be a longer than expected process was worth the wait.”

Once they were sold on the Gyro Shack food, the two went in search for a place to put the restaurant. They jumped at the chance to open a location on the West Side and the Hazel Dell Marketplace was a perfect fit.

“This location is a popular spot for lunch and dinner,” Carich said. “We were lucky to be the last tenant to sign a lease. We have a lot of food concepts here, but that has helped us. Many future customers saw our ‘coming soon’ banner and were waiting for our open sign to light up.”

The original crew of 18 employees are a mix of first job and experienced individuals.

“I am very happy with our original hires,” Martens. Said. “They all worked very hard to learn the system quickly and have turned into a great team. Everyone enjoys each other and are friendly, enthusiastic, and excel in serving the customer.”

The Grand Opening will be March 5th and will feature a Vancouver Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and the first annual Gyro Eating Contest. First prize is one original gyro per week for an entire year. Other participants will receive a logo Hydro Flask or Gyro Shack hat. All customers will receive 25% off the entire day.

Martens and Carich have just signed a lease to bring The Gyro Shack to The Union Station on 192nd.

“We are very excited to find a great spot on the east side and hope to be open July 2018,” Carich said.

“We have been open a short time, but the response has been tremendous,” added Martens. “I have seen several customers back three or four times already. We have heard a lot of ‘best gyro ever’ and ‘I love your salad and tzatziki.’ We hope to serve all of Vancouver very soon!”

The first Gyro Shack opened in 2010 and now has nine locations throughout Idaho and Washington. A second Vancouver Gyro Shack is expected to open on 192nd Ave. in the summer.