Gus Vlahavas, Of Tom's Restaurant In Brooklyn, Has Died

Gus Vlahavas, the owner of the charming Crown Heights establishment Tom's Restaurant, has died at the age of 76, according to DNA Info. 

The Vlahavas family first opened Tom's at the corner of Washington Avenue and Sterling Place in 1936, and has become an institution in the neighborhood for its lengthy and unimpeachable all-day breakfast menu, and an unfailingly welcoming atmosphere. A second location of Tom's Restaurant is open on the boardwalk at Coney Island.

Until he retired from the restaurant's day-to-day operations, Vlahavas was known for serving out small snacks, like orange slices or vanilla cookies with whipped cream, to customers waiting to be seated, a tradition that continues today. 

Vlahavas is survived by his mother, along with his wife and three children.

A wake for Gus Vlahavas will be held on Sunday, November 9 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Cobble Hill Chapels.

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Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.