Wayne Magazine 2006

McCobb's was featured in Wayne Magazine in 2006.

You can read the article below or click the picture to the right to read the article as a PDF file in a new window.

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It’s a Family Affair

An interview with McCobb's Mamakos brothers

BY ELIZABETH MULRANEY

McCobb's Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Bar has come a long way since it's humble beginnings as a 1940s hot dog stand. Today, brothers Dean and Spero Mamakos run their family business the old-fashioned way — by focusing on their customers' needs. The brothers recently took a few moments away from their busy counter for a conversation with Wayne Magazine about how McCobb's has remained a favorite dining destination for generations.

What prompted your father, Thomas, to purchase this location?

Spero: In the 1950s, our father ran the American Restaurant in Elizabeth and the Fabian Coffee Shop in Paterson. He wanted something with shorter hours and to be closer to our home in Wayne. After buying this spot, Dad kept it running as the Maple Snack Bar with a limited menu until 1973.

Dean: That's when he put on the extension that gave us seating for 75 and expanded the menu.

Spero: It's also when he renamed the place after our childhood babysitter, Ethel McCobb. She came to us during a time when our mother was busy working with Dad. Mrs. McCobb was our neighbor and in return for watching over us, she said she was satisfied with helping herself to the goodies Mom always kept in our fridge

Dean: She was our own Mrs. Doubtfire, always siding with the kids in the neighborhood. Living only four doors away, she was a great confidant.

Did you assume the business by choice or was it to fulfill a family obligation?

Dean: When Dad retired 11 years ago, we wanted to follow in his footsteps. We’d been running around the kitchen since we were little and I started working at 13. Then Spero (the younger of the two) came on board. It’s in our blood.

Is your father the mastermind behind your famous chili sauce?

Dean: Our father inherited the recipe, but changed it at least a half-dozen times. It's the same sauce we serve today. We make it in separate batches on the stovetop. In 1997, we started bottling it by hand, one at a time, in vacuum packaging so it has a seven month shelf life. It's available in pints and quarts.

Chili sauces may be few and far between, but dining options in this area certainly are not. This part of the state is literally bursting with restaurants. What keeps McCobb's at the top of its game?

Spero: We’re a 21st century restaurant. Our menu features fresh grilled meats, our famous chili con carne, pulled pork sandwiches, fresh salads and four homemade soups (in the cold months). All of our food is the highest quality and our customers are quality conscious. We keep the menu current with what our customers request.

So, what's the trade secret behind the success of McCobb's?

Dean: We’re an overnight success 43 years in the making (he laughs). We’re involved in every aspect of the day-to-day business. We're working 'round the clock, prepping until 5 AM. None of our food is processed, so our stove never stops.

Doesn't the most recent addition to your menu fill the void left when the Milk Barn closed?

Spero: Yes it does. We started serving over 20 homemade flavors of Gelotti's Ice cream (a Paterson vendor) in July 2005 offering "old fashioned window service".

Dean: It's a great substitute for the Milk Barn. Many people don't realize that this location was here seven years before the Milk Barn opened.

Spero: When the Barn closed, it was like we lost a sister.

Does working so closely cause tensions between you? Do you even see one another outside of work?

Spero: There's always friction, but we are able to grow through and with that friction. Dean and I bring to the table a different style, a difference of opinion, but with those differences we are able to complement one another. We spend a lot of time together outside of work — we only live a few doors away from one another. We're fond of our community.

Dean: The restaurant is like our lab, our school, our social forum and home — all rolled in one. It’s our culture.

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