Detroit-area restaurant offers free Thanksgiving meals, goes viral

Melanie Eversley | USA TODAY

A photo of a sign outside of a Detroit-area restaurant offering free Thanksgiving meals to those who will be alone has gone viral, prompting praise for the store owner from people across the country.

The sign outside of George's Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Northville, Mich., reads: "George's Thanksgiving Day Dinner. If anyone is home alone, Come eat with us for free! All Day Thurs. November 26th."

George Dimopoulos, owner of George's Senate Coney Island Restaurant, said he has been hosting the free Thanksgiving meal event for the last 10 years just to help people. The Greece native came to the United States in 1969 at the age of 23; he said he can remember days when he had nothing and felt alone and wanted to do something to give back.

"I do for the people who don't have anybody home," said Dimoupolos, who lives in Northville. "One time I was alone. One time I didn't have food. Somebody did it for me."

Dimopoulos left his home in Greece when he was 12 and came to Detroit because he had an aunt, three sisters and a brother here, he said.

"I don't have an education; I worked in a factory in Greece," he said. "I knew how to cook a lot of foods before I came here."

But while Dimopoulos has been doing this for some time, this year his restaurant is the center of national attention because a local resident posted a photo of the sign outside of his restaurant on the Reddit social media website.

The photo prompted shares on Facebook, and stories by NBC, the Washington Post and other news outlets.

Dimopoulos said he has room for roughly 100 people, outside of the diners expected to come in for paid meals.

He has spent $5,000 on 100 turkeys, side dishes and desserts, including sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, apple and pumpkin pie. He usually gets 70 to 100 people, he said. They come from all sorts of circumstances from people who have no family to people who are homeless, he said.

"The weather is supposed to be nice — 55 degrees," Dimopoulos said. "I hope I can help people eat."