The Marinakos family is calling it a career after owning and operating Orillia’s iconic Tops in Pizza since 1985.
“Our hearts bleed,” says Toni Marinakos, 63, who owns the business with her husband, Peter, and son, Christopher. “We’ve decided to take life in a new direction. It was the hardest decision to make.”
The family had been considering retirement for the past year before finally deciding to act on it.
“When I came to this town in September of 1974, I was 24 years old,” Peter explained. “I’m now 73 and we have never stopped.”
Peter immigrated from Greece and lived in Montreal, Toronto and Bracebridge before settling in Orillia to become business partners with Peter Rombos at Rombos Pizza. When Tops in Pizza was born out of Rombos, it had seven locations in Ontario.
“We did it for so long and I was all over the place,” Peter explained.
“We eventually decided to just focus on one place here in Orillia,” Toni added.
Despite having only the Orillia location, on Memorial Avenue, the hard work never stopped for the couple, who work five days a week from early morning until about midnight.
“If you don’t love the business and you do it for the money, it’s bad news for the customer,” Peter said. “I have combined work with pleasure.”
Their passion for the business is part of what makes Tops in Pizza a staple of the community.
“We hear stories every day from kids who used to eat here and have grown up to bring their own families here,” Toni said.
“We cherish that legacy and it’s something we are proud of,” Christopher added.
They still love their business, which makes it difficult for them to walk away from it.
“Our hearts are saying no, but our bodies are saying it’s time,” Toni said. “I’m delaying two surgeries on my shoulder and knee because I can’t take the time off.”
They have missed out on weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and even Christmases, when the pizzeria is open to the public for free slices.
“Our family understood why we had to stay behind,” Toni said.
They aren’t entirely sure what is next for them.
“We are scared about what the next chapter is,” Toni said. “The plan is to take care of ourselves right now, take care of our health, travel, and see some family.”
Christopher, 33, is a real estate sales representative with Century 21. He is tasked with selling the family business.
“We hope the people who buy it do as well as we have done or better,” Peter said. “It’s up to them, but if they don’t follow the recipes and the service, that would be a mistake.”
The family hopes to stick around to assist the next owners.
“If they want to continue our legacy, we will be here to help them,” Toni said.
Tops in Pizza has been recognized over the years for its contributions and generosity to community organizations, first responders, sports teams, and people in need.
“We’ve had people come in here and thank us because we gave them a slice of pizza when they had no money,” Peter said. “We did that many times.”
Toni says the good deeds will be remembered forever.
“People never forget how you make them feel,” she said. “Everyone, to us, was special. They became our family and friends.”
They won’t stop the tradition of giving back to the community in their next life chapter.
“Whether it’s with real estate or something else, I’m still going to do that service for people,” Christopher said. “I don’t want anything in return; it’s just something that has been instilled in me since Day 1.”
Tops in Pizza will remain open until the business is officially sold. There is no current timeline for when the transition will happen.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone of Orillia and Simcoe County for the support they gave us,” Peter said.
