People who knew Thanasis knew he had a warm heart, complimented brightly by his warm smile. Passing aged 74, Spanos will be deeply missed by the Greek Community in Melbourne, where he began his hospitality legacy.
When Thanasi came to Australia in 1971, his first port of call was Lonsdale Street, where he later ran Medallion Cafe for 20 years.
Thanasis’ greatest success, however, came from operating ‘Vanilla’, which has grown to be one of the largest businesses in Oakleigh.
Steve Dimopoulos, MP for Oakleigh, said Thanasis’ ability to connect with everybody was like “nothing I have ever seen”.
“This will be deeply felt by the Oakleigh community. We will stand by you always.”
An avid football fan as well, Thanasi was a supporter, life-member, sponsor and friend of South Melbourne FC for almost five decades.
Vanilla will be closed for 3 days to observe the beginning of their mourning period. (Saturday 1st August 2020 – Monday 3rd August 2020 inclusive).
