The Mad Greek Cafe serves dinner with a show

Most restaurants serve only food, but The Mad Greek Cafe has added live music to the mix in order to compete in today's economy.

Dinner guests at the 8565 W. Sahara Ave. eatery are treated to the music stylings of Heico Maluyan starting at 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. A belly dancer is slated to perform at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Lady J's Open Mic Spotlight is slated from 7 to 10 p.m. Mondays. The restaurant hosts an accordion group from noon to 3 p.m. the third Saturday of the month.

"Once in a while we do jazz on Thursday night," said Jerry Dabour, manager and co-owner. "We also had a Latin band on Wednesday nights, but then we switched that around. We're trying different things ... and we're trying to work on a Greek dance routine, too."

The restaurant recently began hosting a full show, "Impersonators & Tribute Artists-Variety Dinner Show," from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays, with early dinner at 7 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Some entertainers in the new show, such as Mark Maynard, who impersonates Frankie Valli, were formerly with "Legends In Concert" on the Strip. Elessa Love performs in "Impersonators & Tribute Artists" as a solo singing act. She has appeared with her husband, Michael, at venues such as the Suncoast and Sam's Town, where they are billed as The Loves.

"There's a lot of camaraderie between the artists," she said, adding that that aspect carries over to the audience. "With the economy and everything, being able to bring the performance to a local restaurant is amazing, a wonderful experience."

Not all the new events at The Mad Greek Cafe involve music. The restaurant also plans a five-course dinner and wine tasting event from 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 6. The cost is $45.

It's all to try to get more people in the doors with the tough times, said Dabour.

"When the recession hit, it was designed for a whole different (market)," he said of the cafe. "We were just one more semi-casual place, and we lowered our menu down quite a bit, trying to keep the prices down. It's been a tough area. People (from Summerlin) just don't come this way. I don't know why. They've got Boca Park and all that going on over there. It's been a tough location."

Dabour said that being tucked into a large strip mall meant less visibility and that motorists pass it by unknowingly.

"People say they just don't see it," he said with a shrug. "They don't know we're here."

He said he has tried to combat the slow economy with a website presence on Facebook, facebook.com/madgreekcafe, and email blasts. Dabour said hosting a variety show would help increase the evening numbers, which are typically low on weekdays.

Sundar Ray, producer of "Impersonators & Tribute Artists," saw things differently and liked that it was on the edge of the Summerlin area.

"The location is excellent," he said. "People like the ambience. We were searching the last six months for a place to hold the show, a place with a good location. A lot of establishments are failing because they don't have food and entertainment, and there's a lot of competition."

Finding a venue proved difficult, as it took the right mix of elements to host a show such as "Impersonators & Tribute Artists."

"Most places are too small to command an audience," Ray said. "If there is a stage, it's a makeshift one ... We needed a good sound system for the caliber of performers, the (quality sound system) they're used to."

The Mad Greek Cafe has a large area up front where the acts perform. It opened in late 2007 as the Golden Greek. The economy went into a nosedive in 2008, and the owners closed it in 2009 for remodeling and reopened in September 2010 as The Mad Greek Cafe. The change came with a switch to being semi-casual.

With the patio, the restaurant, which is just under 7,000 square feet, seats 160.

"A lot of people come inside; from the outside it looks different than the inside," Dabour said. "Once they come in, it's a whole different world. So they are, like, pizazzed; they love it; they're surprised."

Food has never been the issue. The cafe gets high marks for everything from its gyros to the Onassis burger and french fries with tzatziki sauce.

Carlos Yu from Summerlin was there for the first time recently. He said he liked the place. Told about the music, he said that would "be a good addition. It would make dining more enjoyable to have music."

Another diner, Bill Callanan, worked in Strip orchestras for 45 years. He said he loves the Greek music that normally plays on the restaurant's sound system.

"It makes it more authentic," he said of the dining experience. "A couple of belly dancers wouldn't hurt."

"Or belly boys," said his wife, Jan. "The ones with the stomachs. What do they call them? Washboards?"

For more information or reservations at The Mad Greek Cafe, call 242-7669.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.