The Pride

Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: James Sebring

The Money Pit is a new drive-thru restaurant in San Marcos. Located on the corner of Mission and Bennett Ave a few miles east of CSUSM, it is short trip, even by bike or walking. The owner, Demetri Kellafinos, took over a long deserted bank and turned it into a family run restaurant. Demetri and his son Artemios, 'Arte', built the Money Pit themselves. "We put in every nail, screw, and tile," Arte said.

The Money Pit first opened in December 2008, employing about 25 workers.

Their motto is "We don't cook the food till you order it." All of the food is prepared in-house and made fresh. The menu runs the gamut from breakfast foods, to burgers, sandwiches, and salads. There is also ice cream and pastries for the sweet tooth. The chocolate shake is thick and chocolaty.

Their prices are well within the starving student budget with a full meal available for under $6.00.

"We wanted the food to be affordable," Arte said.

The whole project speaks to ingenuity and hard work. Arte points out that the tile floor is all recycled tile from the bank or discarded tile chips from local tile stores. The décor is a collage of pictures, film posters, and real money from the US and other countries as well as monopoly money and poker chips. The old vault door is center stage, with the vault now used for dry storage.

Almost all of the film posters refer to money in some fashion: Fist Full of Dollars, The Bank Job, Oceans 11 and others. On the ceiling over the cashier's counter is $250 worth of pennies, "each one of which I put up there with glue," Arte recalled with a slight grimace. The wood tables and benches all have some kind of money under glass. On one table is an old monopoly set that Arte said they used to play with as kids. "We emptied out our garage and shopped the swap meets collecting old automobile license plates and other odds and ends."

The Pit appeals to young and old alike with its good food, low prices, interesting décor, and music from the 60s and 70s.

Patrons say they like the food, the atmosphere, and easy access with seating inside and out.

Demetri came to the US in 1974 from Greece as an undocumented alien. He has worked in the restaurant business for years. His latest dream began to take shape toward the end of 2007 when he finally acquired the old bank. With a year in the planning and getting licensing, and several months rehabilitating the interior, Arte says, "It's nice to see things finally get going and making money."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools