Struggling Wyandotte restaurant Gregorios saved by community after social media post

WYANDOTTE. Mich. (FOX 2) - A beloved mom-and-pop restaurant in Wyandotte is seeing better days. Last week they were operating in the red, but this week, with a little help from the community, they are glowing.

Big picture view:

It's been an emotional past few days at Gregorios. Lots of sad tears and then happy tears. In the 21 years they’ve been open, they’ve never seen anything like this.

Co-owner Debby Celia is grateful to see every seat in Gregorio’s Italian Restaurant filled.

"I can’t even begin to express the gratitude that we feel for this," said Celia. "We’ve never experienced anything like this with the community coming together to help us. So it’s a bit overwhelming, but we’re very pleased."

On Wednesday, Gregorio’s opened at 4 p.m. but by 5:30, Celia did something she had not done in a long time, which is turning people away.

The backstory:

A few days prior, there were only a few patrons dining inside until Celia made a post on social media about the financial struggles they were facing.

"When I had to pay, put this bill on the back burner, put this bill on the back burner, and put that bill on the back burner, and oh my god, I can’t pay my property taxes, and oh my god, I gotta get the mortgage paid. It’s a juggling act, and it was coming to a point where I couldn’t juggle anymore," she said.

Celia said it has been like that since COVID, but the post went viral and the community stepped up and in the last few days placed hundreds of orders, inside and online.

"I can’t even find words to express how I feel. This was just a simple little post saying ‘Hey, remember us, don’t forget about us. You know we’re here," she said.

Why you should care:

Patrons never forget their address, and they’ve been coming so much, she says, they're able to pay all bills and ultimately serve their patrons.

She says it's not just her business but so many small mom-and-pop shops need help. She hopes folks remember them too. If you come here, know that they don't make reservations. But you have to call ahead and see what's available.