Aaron Kraut/The Gazette Employee Donis Vasquez, of Silver Spring, prepares gyro meat Tuesday at the Fresh Greek Grill on University Boulevard. Owner Yannis Mereos is hoping his months-old business can survive in a competitive restaurant market.

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Friends and family know how Yannis Mereos’ 2-month-old restaurant is doing by looking at his facial hair.

During a good week, Mereos, 40, won’t shave. It’s superstition, said the Silver Spring native who late last year opened the Fresh Greek Grill in Four Corners, near the intersection of University Boulevard and Colesville Road. His hope was to create a viable small business around the corner from where his father, Harry, owned and operated the well-known eatery Country Kitchen.

Lately, though, with more competition from national franchises and a shaky economy, Mereos has struggled to gain a foothold in a county with about 1,500 food establishments, according to the latest data from the Maryland Restaurant Association.

When business is light, Mereos shaves every day. He’s been shaving a lot more often than he’d prefer.

“I'm trying. There’s a lot of old things that don’t work anymore,” Mereos said. “I don’t feel as comfortable as I did before [when he opened two months ago].”

Mereos’ menu is full of the Greek staples he learned to prepare while working in his parents’ diners in Silver Spring and Bethesda. He owned a similar Greek restaurant near Gallery Place in Washington, D.C., before rising rents forced him to look elsewhere. He returned to Silver Spring, hoping the $2,500-per-month rent and “mom-and-pop” feel of the neighborhood would mean more success.

“This area is a good area for this kind of restaurant,” Mereos said. “The community has evolved and people are watching what they spend, but this is a strong, working-class area. This area is strong no matter what. I don’t think it would work in other areas of the county.”

In the county, Silver Spring’s per capita annual income is $36,189, according to the 2010 census, and the more affluent Bethesda is at $78,406. Maryland’s average annual income is $34,236.

The gyro is his best-seller, popular during the lunch rush and easy to package in a value meal for students and staff at nearby Montgomery Blair High School. There’s spanakopita, souvlaki, a horiatiki salad and baklava.

But after a relatively strong run in December, Mereos said an increasing number of diners have ditched his shop for the brand name and familiarity of Chipotle, the popular Mexican food chain that last month opened a franchise on the other side of Colesville Road.

“That always affects any business. I can’t compete with their marketing ability,” Mereos said. “I’m staring at empty tables and chairs, while they have a line to the door for food that is more expensive.”

Chipotle is not the only franchise in Four Corners, and Mereos has tinkered with new ideas since opening. He puts deals on Groupon, a website that offers customers discounts to local restaurants and businesses. He’s considering a delivery option, although he said it’s sometimes difficult to balance gas and transportation costs. He set up outside seating, 10 tables near the sidewalk on University Boulevard, something he said few other Four Corners restaurants offer.

Montgomery County doesn’t track restaurant success and failure rates. A 2005 Cornell University study found 27 percent of independent restaurants fail during the first year of operation.

Mereos isn’t yet thinking about giving up on the business. Despite the hours — he devotes nearly all of his time to the restaurant, open six days a week — and the other stresses, Mereos said he thinks he can succeed.

“Making your own business is an option I like,” Mereos said. “That’s the thing about owning a restaurant. I won’t starve. You never have to worry about what to eat.”

akraut@gazette.net