Lou Pappan, beloved restaurant founder and Beaver County icon, dies

A shining example of American Dream achievement and a true Beaver County icon, Lou Pappan died Tuesday surrounded by family at his Patterson Heights home.

The founder of the Pappan’s Family Restaurant chain was 92.

"He is the American dream," his son Demetrios, 63, said Tuesday. "He came here to America for prosperity and a new life, but what he found was his love for the American people."

Pappan was a fixture for decades throughout western Pennsylvania, delighting fans with his TV commercials that always ended with his signature line − “an’ you gonna like it!” − delivered mirthfully in his Greek accent.

Perpetually grateful for the U.S. troops that aided his native Greece during World War II, Pappan, the successful restaurateur, felt honored and compelled to return the favor by annually hosting picnics at Bradys Run Park where he would provide a free meal to as many as 20,000 senior citizens.

″This country’s got a heart so big," he explained in a 1988 Associated Press interview at the 14th annual Bradys Run picnic where he spent $30,000 of his own money to make sure Beaver Valley seniors received a meal of spaghetti and meat sauce, rolls and tapioca pudding served on covered picnic tables. Guests also received a silver dollar as a gift.

″Of all the countries I could have went to, here I am," he said. "I came to the United States, the best country in the world.″

Born in 1930 as Elias Demetrios Papanikolaou, he grew up in the village of Makrakomi, Greece, during its Nazi occupation. As a youngster in a war-torn village, he'd search the skies for American aircrafts that would bring help.

″They dropped big boxes full of clothing and also food,″ he recalled four decades later. ″We got sometimes white sugar, sometimes brown sugar. We even received sometimes chocolate bars. It was a very big deal."

With his poverty-stricken village reeling from World War II and the Greek Civil War that followed, Pappan vowed to pursue a better life. He came to America at around age 21.

Not yet learning English, he settled in Beaver Falls, finding work at his uncle Louis Nellas' neighborhood bar next to a steel mill. Two years later, Pappan joined the U.S. Army and served in the 101st Airborne Division during the Korean War. A sergeant there convinced him his Greek name was too difficult for Americans to pronounce, so he shortened it to Pappan.

In 1960, Lou briefly returned to Makrakomi to marry his beloved wife, Panagiota. The couple returned to Beaver Falls, living downtown on Sixth Avenue. In 1961, Pappan bought a former candy shop in Beaver Falls and turned it into his first restaurant selling burgers and hot dogs. Too poor to replace the sign outside, he kept the name of the former business, The Sweet Shop.

Three years later, he opened his first Pappan’s Family Restaurant in New Brighton, near the bridge to Beaver Falls.

Through diligence and determination, Pappan forged a business empire that grew to over 30 Pappan’s Family Restaurants, along with 20 Roy Rogers franchise restaurants.

"He loved his customers," Demetrios said. "My dad never talked about money, that was just a byproduct of his work. He talked about the people he served and his employees. And he believed in giving back. He raised us that way."

Pappan's restaurants became well-known for fried chicken, prompting another of the namesake owner's beloved catch phrases: "Chicken, Chicken, Chicken!”

In 1986, when the Pittsburgh Pirates were attempting to reach the 1 million mark in attendance on the last day of the season, Pappan offered a free chicken dinner to every fan at Three Rivers Stadium. A sold-out crowd turned out, and more than 33,000 people were served on the field at a cost to Pappan of about $45,000 as the Pirates reached their goal. Recalling that feat a few years later, Pappan laughed and said, ″I want to die as a nice man instead of a rich man.″

″God has been good to me," he added. ″From the day I walked into this country ... I never had a sad day. I never met a person in this country I did not really like.″

Pappan continued working into his mid-80s before retiring.

"He was special. The real deal," son Demetrios said. "He came to America for the dream of prosperity and a new life, and he lived it to the fullest."

Gabauer Family Funeral Homes is handling arrangements.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Lou Pappan, Beaver County's beloved restaurant founder, dies