Acropolis co-owner Nick Stratis

The Acropolis Restaurant/Diner is situated on a corner where a major arteriole (the 44/55) runs through Poughkeepsie, bisecting a smaller street (Taft) which dead ends at Vassar College. One of the first things a person notices in viewing the Acropolis is the very large freestanding sign out front. The diner's name is written in big letters on both sides, positioned perpendicular to the diner itself so as to face both flows of traffic surrounding the diner (not facing out toward the sidewalk). Both the size and the positioning of its sign points to the diner's attempt to catch potential customers who are passing by in cars specifically.

There is also a fairly large parking lot adjacent to the diner (visible from the arterial) indicating again the welcoming of customers arriving in cars, but also welcoming customers to sit down and eat their meals, as opposed to picking it up and leaving.

The ramp which leads to the entrance (parallel to the sidewalk and street) runs parallel to the diner and leads directly from the parking lot; again inviting driving customers. It is not inviting to the pedestrian who is accustomed to entering buildings by walking down a beckoning pathway perpendicular to an entrance that faces out toward the sidewalk.

This ramp, leading up to an entrance significantly above ground also contributes to the diner's theme of the Greek Acropolis which was an important and magnificent temple for the goddess Athena situated atop a hill. Also contributing to the Greek theme are the blue and white colors (the colors of the Greek flag) with which the diner is painted. Hanging on one of the walls inside is also a painting of the Acropolis itself. Furthermore, on the menus are photographs of the Acropolis and a depiction of Athena.

This Acropolis signifies greatness and civic accomplishment thereby serving to foster trust in and to legitimize both the business and services of the diner as well as its owner specifically as a Greek immigrant in America. The owner's choice to, in a sense, exploit his Greek heritage (or celebrate it) also serves to personalize the diner and to distinguish it as different from other restaurants. Being of a foreign country and representing a foreign and ancient culture, the use of the Acropolis also makes the diner into a sort of novelty, something (very) slightly exotic. However, the Acrop's visible Greekness also creates a sense of familiarity and safety (for New Yorkers anyway) as Greek diners are staple and prevalent establishments in New York.

Inside, however, positioned on every table are place-mats displaying a picture of the Brighton Diner (active beginning in the 1950's) which once stood in the place of the Acropolis. This remembrance and connection harkens back to a very American past and specifically to the past of Poughkeepsie which was a part of the lives of members of the current surrounding community.

These depictions of the Acropolis and the old Brighton Diner serve to attract an extremely wide variety of specifically American and more specifically New York customers. The depiction of the Acropolis serves to catch the eyes of those driving by, interested by the novelty of it. The visible Greekness of the diner also serves to create feelings of familiarity and to make many customers feel safe to eat there, for the Greek identity is linked with the notion of the diner through out New York. Many customers probably feel they know what they are getting into when they sit down. The depiction of the Brighton diner inside, however, serves to maintain the older, regular customers from the surrounding community who patronized the diner while it was in its former state. This depiction makes their transition easier and mitigates potential feelings of having their space taken over, while also reminding them of younger years and perhaps happy times.

The inclusion of the Brighton Diner in the new conception of the Acropolis diner also serves to create a history about the place and to foster a communal and family atmosphere. Older customers who were around when it was still the Brighton diner may bring their children and grandchildren to the Acropolis.

There are many indications that families are welcome at the diner. First of all, the phrase "A Family Place", is written beneath the diner's name on the sign outside. Also, written on the place mats is: "the Acropolis has become a place where friends and family can meet. . . . ." In the small section between the main entrance and the entrance to the dining area, there is a video game machine and a gum ball dispenser for kids and teenagers to amuse themselves with. Just beyond the second entrance are small piles of booster seats and a couple of high-chairs for small children. And the seating construction itself beckons families or groups of friends; the counter (usually for customers eating alone) is relatively small and in the back and off to the side, while the booths are numerous and prominent.

Now, the Quick Draw lottery also, somewhat oddly, figures prominently in the conception of the Acropolis. Underneath the sign outside bearing the diner's name is also a smaller lottery sign, indicating that tickets can be bought there. These tickets are provided at the cashier and at every table. This aspect may draw additional customers to eat there, while also providing a source of additional amusement to keep people coming.

The notion of the lottery also connects the Acropolis to the American dream of making it big quickly as well as to the American and Poughkeepsie reality that not everyone partakes in the vast wealth of capitalist America. It is a reminder that unemployment exists, that wages are not high enough, and that all Americans want more than subsistence. This, though it does not exclude wealthier customers, orients the diner toward a working class clientele and its largely working class Poughkeepsie community.

Also connected with American capitalism and commercial and media dominated American culture, technology is a major component of and further source of amusement in the Acropolis. As mentioned before, the video game machine stands at the diner's entrance. Multiple televisions hang from the ceiling. When we were there, one featured the news, another winning lottery numbers. And mini juke-boxes are stationed at many of the booths indicating older technology, while offering both new and old singers and songs.

These features welcome and attract a newer generation (perhaps Vassar students) plagued by the need to be constantly stimulated. However, the juke-boxes welcome and are familiar to middle aged and young customers alike, serving as generational bridges that further allow the Acropolis to foster a family space.

In order to understand what all the aspects of the Acropolis Diner signify and imply, various literacies or types of knowledge are necessary. One must be acculturated to the auto-dominated society. One must be able to read and know some simple facts of Greek culture and history. One must be able to understand and utilize modern technology in order to comprehend and partake in all the benefits of the diner. One must understand the meaning of the lottery icon and the workings of the lottery. And one must understand the capitalist American culture, the notions of being able to win a huge amount of money from an anonymous corporation by paying a small sum for a paper ticket, and the service industry which allows one to give money in return for being served one's meals.