RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-431

A resolution recognizing the retirement of Bill and Linda Godfrey from their twenty-five year run of serving Greek food to thousands of people, both Nashvillians and visitors alike, at the Greek Touch Restaurant in the Downtown Arcade.

WHEREAS, Bill and Linda Godfrey have been serving Greek food at the Greek Touch Restaurant in the Arcade in downtown Nashville for the last twenty-five years; and

WHEREAS, transplants from Georgia, Bill and Linda came to Nashville after they got married and decided to go into the Greek restaurant business without actually having ever worked in a Greek restaurant or for that matter, ever cooked Greek food; and

WHEREAS, taking a pad of paper and a pen, Bill drove to Chattanooga where friends spent several hours teaching Bill how to actually prepare and cook Greek food;

WHEREAS, Bill and Linda then went to great efforts to open up the Greek Touch some twenty-five years ago uncertain of their path or whether anyone would actually come to their place of business; and

WHEREAS, Bill and Linda, after much work, finally opened the doors to their restaurant only to find that for the first hour no one came; and

WHEREAS, after an hour of determining whether they had made the biggest mistake of their lives, people started pouring into their restaurant and have been pouring in ever since; and

WHEREAS, the Greek Touch became quite a hangout for many in the business, legal, and governmental world, serving gyro plates, Athenian salads, pork chops, spanakopita, and red beans and rice (which Bill never understood was actually not a Greek dish) to thousands of happy people who would come into the restaurant to see Linda’s beautiful smile and try to dodge Bill’s insults; and

WHEREAS, along the way, Bill and Linda helped to make Nashville what it is today, a friendly place where you can go into a restaurant, sit down, have great fellowship, and eat Greek food prepared by non-Greeks; and

WHEREAS, after twenty-five years, Bill and Linda decided that it was time to sell their restaurant and retire; and

WHEREAS, when news got out that the restaurant had been sold, countless people came by the restaurant before Bill and Linda left to say thank you for all the years that Bill and Linda made people happy and full; and

WHEREAS, the Arcade downtown will never be quite the same without Bill yelling at customers from the window and without Linda coming out from behind the counter to give someone a much-needed hug;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as saying thank you to Bill and Linda Godfrey for their twenty-five years of true service to the citizens of Nashville and Davidson County as the proud owners of the Greek Touch Restaurant in the Downtown Arcade and wishes them both well as they head on a new future path together.

Section 2. The Metropolitan Council Office is directed to prepare a copy of this Resolution to be presented to Bill and Linda Godfrey.

Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Jim Shulman, Nick Leonardo