EMILIOS Haralambous has been the familiar face behind the counter at Emilios Takeaway in Sale for the past 30 years.

And last week, Trafford mayor Rob Chilton joined current bosses Paul Theo and Andreas Theo and staff for a special celebration of serving the community.

Paul said: “It was a brilliant thing to celebrate and got some great feedback from the customers coming in. Some of them were telling us how their family had come in over the years and now as adults they were wanting to eat our food.

“Emilios has been talking about retiring for some time and we took over but he has just reduced his shifts. He has been taking a backseat and I have been running it for him since January.

“He is staying in the background and working with us. He is part of the the community for 30 years and to have him here still is great. It is not often you hear about a business running for that long.”

Andreas, who also owns the business, added: “He is loved in the area and they have a lot of respect for him because he is a great guy and is very honest and that is the reason that people come back as they see how he treats his staff and there are some who have been there since the start.”

During the morning of celebration, bosses offered free fish and chips to customers and Paul says that the reaction from the customers was great.

He said: “He is always trying to keep the food fresh and he does not take any shortcuts in preparation as we make our own pizza basses and marinate our chicken.

“We have found a lot of changes and had to adapt throughout the years to keep us going and people have had lifestyle changes and what they want to eat.

“We have stayed open during the pandemic and with the delivery service, people from outside the area have been treating their parents to a takeaway.

“We are hoping that the good name of Emilios will be running in the area for years to come.”