The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 12 No. 6 - November 23, 2011

BUSINESS

You're family at Popi's Place

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

SUN PHOTO/LOUISE BOLGER
Emmanuel and Popi Ameres offer large portions of
good quality food at affordable prices.

Greek mythology is one of the reasons the Greek Islands remain both fascinating and mysterious to many of us, but to a couple who emigrated from those islands over 40 years ago it was just home.

Emmanuel and Popi Ameres started their American adventure in Cleveland, Ohio, relocating to St. Petersburg, Fla., within four years when Emmanual was offered an excellent position.

By 1975 the Ameres were partners in several restaurants before striking out on their own 10 years later. Now the Ameres and their family own five restaurants in Florida, with the most recent Popi's Place VI opening in February on Manatee Avenue.

Popi's Place VI is a large bright restaurant with tables and comfortable booths serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. The breakfast menu includes three egg omelets – Greek and Philly cheese – among others, biscuits and gravy, breakfast burrito, eggs Benedict, pancakes, waffles, French toast, breakfast sandwiches and more starting under $5.

For lunch and dinner you can choose from a variety of appetizers, soups, salads, seafood sandwiches, wraps and burgers. Lunch sandwiches also start under $5 with dinner slightly higher. Entrees starting under $10 include steaks , prime rib, liver and onions, country fried steak, meatloaf and fried chicken, among many other choices. There are several Italian-style entrees including chicken or eggplant Parmesan and meat ravioli as well as jumbo shrimp, grilled mahi mahi, grouper and other seafood choices. Homemade desserts and pies are available as well as soft drinks, wine and specialty beers.

Popi's has daily specials and on Sundays they add lamb shanks to the menu. They also offer take out service and catering services, especially during the holidays where you can take home a full turkey dinner or a pie and everything in between. They can accommodate private parties and have a banquet room at their Ellenton location.

The Ameres have a large family, three sons and a daughter plus grandchildren, and each one of their children run one of the family restaurants. Popi Ameras, whose name is a shortened version of Kalliopi one of the nine muses of Greek mythology, encourages her family to treat all customers with a personal touch and make them part of their family. Some customers come in on a daily basis to take advantage of the large portions and good quality food at affordable prices. Like they say on their website, "Popi's bridges the gap between a tablecloth restaurant and fast food."

If you want to feel like you're part of a big Greek family, come to the new Popi's Place where the Ameres will greet you warmly and the food will satisfy both your hunger and your wallet. As close as you can get to the Greek Islands this side of the equator.

 

Popi's Place

6409 Manatee Ave.
Bradenton
941-761-7674
www.popisplace.com

Opened every day
6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Visa, MasterCard, 
American Express

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Know thine enemy

Investment Corner

It goes without saying that investors are frustrated by several years of below average returns and high volatility. Obviously our goal is higher returns with lower volatility, so in a manner of speaking we have been in investment hell. It may be helpful if we can think of risk in terms of being permanent or temporary.

Permanent risk should be considered the loss of value that can never be regained. It may be total, a 100 percent loss of value, or partial, but it will never be regained in that particular investment. Examples of this are when a firm goes bankrupt and its shareholders lose their entire investment. Bondholders generally fare better, but typically still lose 40 to 80 percent of their value and possibly more.

Temporary risk is what happens when market prices of stocks and bonds fluctuate each day due to investors' emotions and interpretations of news events, but may not have anything to do with the business you own stocks or bonds in. Sometimes these movements in price can be sharp and swift, creating emotional pressure to act to avoid further losses. Unfortunately, history shows that most investors react too late, in effect selling low and buying high – obviously the wrong combination.

The distinction here is important to help avoid investment mistakes. Instances of permanent risk are not necessarily rare, but are also not commonplace, and the investor can be protected by investing in a diversified portfolio of established companies. Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds can be helpful in providing instant and sufficient diversification to reduce the chance for any meaningful permanent risk.

Avoiding temporary risk is tougher to do. Market prices fluctuate each day and they always will. But think about it this way – if Apple is selling more iPhones and iPads, and Exxon Mobil sells more oil each succeeding year and profits are growing over time, does it really matter if their stock prices temporary fluctuate up or down 20 percent due to some short-trm news event? If anything, perhaps we should cheer the down market for the chance to buy more shares at depressed prices, (a certain Mr. Buffett has used this strategy to build wealth over time. (The reference to Apple Computer and Exxon Mobil is not a recommendation of these securities.)

The key distinction between permanent and temporary risk is the fundamental soundness of the business entity that issued the stock or bond that you own. Decreasing profits over several years and lack of a dividend payment or a reduction in dividend would be signs that perhaps not all is well with the firm. If you own the company's stock or bond issue in this case you need to make a decision as to whether a turnaround is likely, or whether to sell and take a limited loss compared to how bad it could get if the firm experiences a bankruptcy.

If sales, profits and dividends are rising, then ignoring the temporary stock price fluctuations is easier to do. But you still need to keep a proper frame of mind to avoid falling prey to the emotional investing cycle. If you can't seem to do that, then some professional help with your investments may be in order.

Tom Breiter is president of Breiter Capital Management, Inc., an Anna Maria based investment advisor. He can be reached at 778-1900. Some of the investment concepts highlighted in this column may carry the risk of loss of principal, and investors should determine appropriateness for their personal situation before investing. Visit www.breitercapital.com.

 


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