Daphne's Greek Cafe is a privately owned fast food

Fast food

Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...

 restaurant chain operating in Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 and soon in Washington with over 80 locations. They serve Greek food in the fast casual dining style, in their case involving ordering at the counter and receiving a number for a server to deliver the order to the table if the customer is dining in.

Daphne's Greek Cafe is actually the dba for Fili Enterprises, Inc. The company attributes the name to the character Daphne

Daphne

Daphne was a female minor nature deity. Pursued by Apollo, she fled and was chased. Daphne begged the gods for help, who then transformed her into Laurel.-Overview:...

 of Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

 whom the god Apollo

Apollo

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

 desired. The company opens locations in strong commercial areas such as shopping centers and office building complexes near other fast casual or fast-food restaurants. The restaurant tends to draw strongly from the lunch crowd, and has a menu subsection of lunch specials to that effect.

Daphne's was rated #11 in 2006 Top 100 Movers and Shakers in the Fast Casual magazine. Daphne's was voted Best Greek in the June 2008 issue of San Diego Magazine

San Diego Magazine

San Diego Magazine is a monthly publication concerning life in the San Diego region. This is the city’s longest running lifestyle publication and has continued to prosper and evolve throughout its 60-year history...

History

Daphne's Greek Cafe was founded by George Katakalidis in 1991 The chain entered bankruptcy in January 2010. It currently has 60 locations throughout Arizona and California and was recently purchased out of bankruptcy by an investor group headed by William Trefethen. In 2011, Daphne's name will change to Daphne's California Greek with new concept that have been characterized as: a “hybrid” of California-meets-Greek cuisine, with an emphasis on freshness.