Andreas ‘Andy’ Nikolaides began his passion for the food industry in his early-twenties when he took a position as a cook on a cargo ship out of his home country, Greece. On this ship he learned to cook for a crew of thirty, while traveling all over the world in places such as Nigeria, Japan and America

During his trip to America, he fell in love with the culture and decided to make it his home. Not knowing the language, he took a job as a dishwasher and worked his way up to head chef. After many years, he decided to leave the kitchen and learn the management side of the business. He was manager of Fair Lawn Diner (formerly Empress) for ten years before he purchased the Hawthorne Diner. Now that his son, David, has graduated with a Business Degree and is interested in the small business, Andy decided to expand and took ownership of Fair Lawn Diner in 2023.