Our Story, Little Olive Restaurant, Sandpoint, Idaho

Tullaya and I have long loved food for as long as both of us can
remember, we both have wanted our own restaurant. I first met
Tullaya at the Bangkok Cuisine. I went there to order Pad Thai
and she was my waitress, well the rest is history. We were
married in Sagle, Idaho in 2007 and have been planning our
own restaurant ever since. At the time, we were living in
Seattle, WA, and neither one of us were advancing too far in our
careers and desperately missed the restaurant industry. This is
when we started planning our restaurant. We started shopping
all over the Northwest; Bellingham, Seattle, Mt. Vernon,
Tri-Cities, and Spokane. None of the cities quite felt like
'home', none felt like a place we wanted to do business.
Having lived most of our lives in the Inland Northwest, we
wanted to come back and do it here. After careful thought and
consideration, Tullaya quit her job in Retail Marketing and I in
Fashion Design, with plans to move east. It was a scary
moment to quit everything we had worked so hard for, to move
into the unknown and stake everything we had saved on our
passion. After moving to Sandpoint we began to meticulously
scout locations, only to come up empty handed time after time.
Things were just not working out as we had planned, and we
had quit our careers. Panicked, we set our eyes on a restaurant
in Moscow, ID, with plans to open and appeal to the college
demographic. It was probably the closest we've been to
opening a restaurant, however we couldn't come to terms with
the owners and the whole deal fell apart. Frustrated and a little
worried, we started working with local Real Estate agent Tom
Wherle with Mark Hall Realty and before no time we were
looking again at commercial spots that possessed great
potential. It was Tom who brought our attention to the location
that we are now opening/open in; the old "Blue Moon Café" and
"Ivano's" restaurants. The moment he mentioned it, I knew that
our restaurant the 'Little Olive", absolutely had to be located
there. After months of negotiating and remodeling, we're here
at 124 S. 2nd AVE., Sandpoint, ID., with a restaurant we like to
call "Little Olive".

Although neither Tullaya or myself are of Greek descent, we
both have loved and respected the cuisine and culture of
Greece. The respect they show for their ingredients, meals,
family and friends is something we admire and respect. We've
been cooking Greek inspired dishes for many years, and over
these years we've carefully taken notes, tweaked and perfected
what is now our menu at the Little Olive. Our dishes are fresh,
home-made, good tasting Greek inspired dishes. I wouldn't say
that we are an authentic Greek restaurant, but what is authentic
anymore? I can say that we started with a planted seed and
what sprouted was a 'Little Olive' tree.

Our focus is on our food, our customer and our community. We
want to welcome you as not only our customer, but as our
guest. Sit down, relax and enjoy the relaxing and fun
atmosphere. Both Tullaya and I are excited to serve you and
welcome into our restaurant as OUR GUEST.

We've always wanted our
own restaurant. A few
years ago, while
living in Seattle,
niether one of us were
content with our
careers. Inspired
by our passion
for food and the desire
for a small town
lifestyle, we quit our
careers and moved
east, only to land
right here in
Sandpoint, ID.

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Every month we host
"DINE OUT
FOR A CAUSE".
Where you can dine
out at our restaurant
and we donate
25% of every bill to
that cause, which will
benefit the
Sandpoint
community. For
more information
please visit our
Facebook,
TWITTER,
EVENTS PAGE, or
inquire within.

John and Tullaya Akins
Owners/Operators of
Little Olive Restaurant