Kings of the city
Jul. 3—WILKES-BARRE — The Negron twins are no strangers to downtown.
For about a decade, they ran the very popular King of Kings Gyros at 37 Public Square as well as The Cheesesteak Factory at 17 E. Market Street before merging the two into a one-stop-shop at the East Market location back in January of 2020.
Of course, Jason and Eric, 35, of Hanover Township, much like pretty much everyone else in the world, didn't know at the time that life would get very weird a couple months later. The brothers, however, didn't let a global pandemic stop them from doing what they love.
"At first, it was slow," Eric told a reporter, "but luckily Jason signed up for DoorDash right before the pandemic. The first two weeks, it was really slow, then we just got busy with DoorDash. We were mainly take out before, so we really didn't think it was too much ... it's was just kind of the same deal." Eric also noted that at one point, King of Kings and The Cheesesteak Factory was just about the only shop open downtown.
And with the very obvious bond the twins share, and their mutual love of what they do, they soldiered on.
Looking back, Eric said, "Honestly, we probably should have made the move years ago. I think business has been steady and even definitely increased having one location, you know? And bills-wise, we've cut the bills in half," though he did note that they took a hit by stepping away from late night service, though they still operate until midnight on the weekends.
The twins did have issues finding staff and willing workers, though they were able to bring two others into the fold, who Eric noted they were "very grateful" to have.
As we hit the halfway mark of 2022, the Negrons are standing tall and have a few ideas for what they'd like to see downtown.
"We need to bring the working folks back," Eric said. "And I think they're not maximizing the potential of Public Square," he remarked, noting the massive PrideFest turnout last weekend. "And that's good for everybody," he said noting that he'd like to see many more festivals and activities. More people on the Square not only benefits various causes, but downtown businesses as well.
And as far as the brothers' business, started for them by their father goes, the guys are cooking up a few things aside from their delicious menu items.
"Right now we are in the process of getting, hopefully, some more menu items and I'm probably going to do something with the back room," Eric said, noting that the space could possibly be a dining room or a small convenience store in the future. "And hopefully by next year we have a second location."
And don't forget, National Gyro day is coming up on Sept. 1, and the twins will be running an online contest with more details to be released soon. They're also throwing around the idea of getting a DJ, though that's yet to be decided.
"Jay and I, we're grateful to be where we're at right now and we treat National Gyro Day as a way to give back to a great customer base as a token of appreciation. We mainly like really just getting our name out there and giving back to the community that's been supporting us for the last 10 years," Eric remarked with sincerity. "I just want to thank everybody who supported us during the pandemic, allowing us to do what we love every day. We appreciate it."
King of Kings Gyros and The Cheesesteak Factory is open seven days a week: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday (hours may differ in observance of the holiday), 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. until midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
To learn more, call the store at 570-991-8630, send emails to kokgyros@gmail.com, visit the website at www.eatmoregyros.com, or find them on your favorite social media platform @KoKGyros.
