Soft lighting, blue paint, a hand-painted Zeus mural and the meráki definition are what you see when you step into Meráki Greek Grill in Santa Clara.
Not only are you enveloped in the Greek aesthetic, but you’re welcomed by smiling faces that make you feel part of the Meráki family — meráki meaning to do something with soul, the essence of yourself that you put into your work.
Founder Jerry Goumroian, who attended the New York Culinary Institute of America and took part in the Culinary Olympics, said if you haven’t been to Greece or are unfamiliar with Greek food, he wants Meráki to be a great introduction.
With awards like Yelp’s Top 50 Restaurants in Las Vegas in 2022, Top 20 Greek Restaurants in the U.S., and Forbes’ Top 20 Burgers, it’s clear Meráki isn’t just about serving food — it’s about creating an experience where flavor and hospitality blend seamlessly.
Goumroian and franchise partner Joseph Djavairian were friends before Goumroian created Meráki and had known each other for over 15 years.
“J’s probably more like [one of] the closest friends I have in life,” Djavairian said. “I consider him a brother, but he’s like my best friend.”
When Goumroian opened the first Meráki in Las Vegas in 2017, Djavairian lived close to the location, and it became his family’s go-to place for any occasion or event, even birthday parties. He said he fell in love with the flavor profile.
“It set itself apart from anything else I had ever tried,” Djavairian said. “The great thing is that you have zero feelings of guilt when you’re eating it. Sometimes you have meals that are very tasty or delicious, but afterward you kind of feel like you’re just sunk… This isn’t that type of food.”
Fresh ingredients
“The way we put our recipes together is we don’t want anyone to be scared,” Goumroian said. “For it to be very familiar and ultimately a Greek food, we don’t use in our cooking very heavily spiced ingredients… We season it very simply with salt, a little pepper, beautiful olive oil, a little oregano and a little lemon juice.”
Freshness cannot be compromised, and the ingredients speak for themselves, like the tomatoes that come from a farmer in California or the daily-made hummus and tzatziki.
“Although our food is based from tradition, we don’t necessarily let the word authentic confine us in these walls,” Goumroian said. “So we like to have fun with it as well.”
Take their signature bowl, for example. It’s loosely based on a burrito bowl from Chipotle, but with a Mediterranean spin, which includes lemon rice, shredded lettuce, marinated garbanzos, olives and feta cheese.
“So when you’re looking at it, there’s no question that it’s inspired by the Mediterranean,” Goumroian said. “But at the same time, it’s different. It’s not something you’re going to find in Greece. We want to keep it really clean and simple in the way that the recipes are put together, and not try to overcomplicate… and procure the right ingredients.”
They give Greek cuisine a creative spin by reinventing dishes, like their phyllo dough-crusted fried chicken.
“So now you have this beautiful, golden brown chicken with the shards of phyllo dough sticking out,” Goumroian said. “Now it just kind of becomes our own.”
Family
Not only have Goumroian and Djavairian known each other for years, but they also have family ties, with both their paternal grandparents born and raised in Greece.
Growing up, Goumroian’s family owned a bakery and joked that he was born on a bag of flour — and it’s his grandmother’s techniques and recipes that are used as foundations for the dishes at Meráki.
“I remember at a certain time we would have family dinners,” Goumroian said. “There was no TV. We would sit down at the table every single night. My grandma would cook. There was no eating out, and we would have those traditional family dinners.”
Multiple people in Djavairian’s family also work at Meráki, including a cousin at the Santa Clara location and a sister-in-law who runs the Charleston location in Vegas. He has another cousin who is the company’s CFO.
“We really, truly feel like we have a Meráki family,” Djavairian said. “I know a lot of companies say that, but I think that it’s kind of trickled down from the friendship that me and Jerry have and the way that they [employees] see that we interact with each other.”
Greek hospitality
“You’ve heard Greek hospitality, right?” Goumroian explained. “It’s not just the term, it’s a real thing, and we were born and raised with this. So it just kind of came natural from what we saw from our grandparents and our parents and how they treated guests when they came into our home. We try to emulate it at our restaurants and try to treat our guests at the restaurants the same way as we saw growing up.”
Merging Goumroian’s vision for Meráki with his classical French training, he prioritizes procuring ingredients, fine-tuning recipes and presenting dishes properly. This means adding elevated touches, like silverware that is polished and China dishware.
“I think the success of our restaurants are just a bunch of little things,” Goumroian said. “The recipes and food is one part of it. The guest experience that we have, our servers make sure they touch tables and, just like any great restaurant would, greet the guests… and I think that’s what brings the experience together.”
Djavairian added that the vibe is unique because sometimes you’ll see someone at Meráki who was just at the gym wanting some protein, or you’ll see a couple sharing a bottle of wine. The environment is approachable and caters to a spectrum of customers.
Goumroian said ultimately they are a fast casual restaurant, but there’s a fine line.
“We wanted to hit these little notes that maybe you wouldn’t necessarily hear or see in your fast casual category of a restaurant,” Goumroian said. “With here, what we try to aim at is make sure when you come in, I think wholesome is the right word to put it together… it works for everything.”
Meráki spirit and expansion
“I love the fact that I’m a part of a brand, thanks to my brother over here [pointing to Goumroian], that I truly believe in with all my heart,” Djavairian said. “And I always say, I feel like if someone tries this once, then we got them.”
Jacqueline Davis and Carl Bane, two Washington county residents, have been to Meráki over three times since it opened. They said the overall fresh taste is unbeatable, the staff is friendly, and because they like to eat healthy, Meráki has perfect options.
“We’re kind of new to the area, otherwise we probably would have been here 50 times,” Davis said.
In addition to the Santa Clara location, another Meráki will be opening on River Road, estimated to be done by the end of October.
Vegas is getting two more Merákis, as well as one in Orem, hopefully done by May 2026. After the Vegas locations open, Djavairian wants to expand into the Phoenix market.
“It may seem a little weird or cliche, but truly, when I’m at my restaurant, I feel the same exact way as I feel like [when] I’m at home,” Goumroian said. “And hospitality truly is just something that kind of came natural. I love seeing people, I love talking to people, I love cooking and the fact that I could do this and make a living, I’m really blessed.”
