Olga Loizon, who opened a small Greek sandwich shop in 1970 that grew to become the popular restaurant chain Olga's Kitchen, known by generations of metro Detroiters, has died at age 92.

The Birmingham resident died Monday at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, a restaurant spokesperson said.

Best known for its unique pita bread sandwiches, spinach pies and curly fries, Olga's Kitchen had more than 50 sit-down restaurants at its peak in the 1980s — many inside shopping malls — with franchise locations as far as New York City, Clearwater, Florida, and Austin, Texas.

Loizon, a Detroit native, started the business in Birmingham and, after selling her ownership stake in the mid-1970s, continued to have roles in the growing enterprise and made regular appearances at Olga's Kitchen restaurants well into her twilight years, greeting customers and taste-testing dishes in her namesake kitchens.

In time, Olga's Kitchen achieved a level of affinity comparable to other beloved metro Detroit brands such as Vernors, Faygo, Sanders and Better Made.

Yet the restaurant chain never really caught on out of state. The company downsized in the 1990s and refocused on its home market in Michigan. It faced new struggles in the 2000s as its once-busy mall locations lost foot traffic amid the retail industry's upheavals.

Olga's Kitchen was bought out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2015 by TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants, and regained its financial footing. Today, there are 26 locations, all but one in Michigan.

"She really was a pioneer of her age," said Loredana Gianino, marketing manager for Olga's Kitchen and TEAM Schostak. "She went through so many obstacles and did things that were completely bucking the trend of what a woman of that time should be doing."

Greek inspiration

Loizon's inspiration came during a 1960s trip to Greece, the birthplace of her parents, where she so enjoyed the Greek souvlaki sandwiches that she paid $300 for a vertical broiler that she had shipped to Michigan.

She then spent several years experimenting in her Birmingham home with recipes for what became Olga's Kitchen pita bread.

It was in her Birmingham home that Loizon created the original Olga's sandwich of seasoned lamb and beef, smothered with tangy "Olgasauce," topped with tomatoes and sweet onions, and wrapped in a signature pita-like bread.

She opened her first sandwich shop, originally called Olga's Souvlaki, in a small 11-by-10-foot space inside what was then the Continental Market in Birmingham.

"The place was so small we couldn't even make the bread there," Loizon said in 1984. "I had to make it at home and drive it in. I can say that now, but it was all a bit secret then."

Loizon recalled in an interview with Crain's Detroit how she was the first woman to obtain a business loan from her local bank, Detroit Bank and Trust, which she used to open that shop.

Word spread about Loizon's unique sandwiches and Olga's shop developed a cult following, attracting lines of customers.

In 1975, Loizon sold the Olga's concept to a group of private investors. The business was rebranded as Olga's Kitchen and began expanding across the state, to Fairlane mall, Lakeside Mall and later Ann Arbor and Lansing.

"The Olgas are without a doubt the most exciting idea in eating the sandwich," read one 1970s advertisement

Loizon kept an active presence in her restaurants, approving menu items and visiting various Olga's Kitchens several times a week. She made regular appearances as late as last year.

"She would walk in and say hello to everybody and ask 'How was your meal? How did you like my Olga bread?,' " Gianino recalled. “She wanted to make sure that everyone was enjoying everything.”

The investor-owners set a national vision for Olga's and tried to expand well beyond Michigan. A two-story Olga's Kitchen opened in Manhattan in 1986 with visions at the time for as many as 40 more Olga's in the New York area. But the brand never resonated in outside markets to the degree it had in Michigan

In 2015, after several years of losses under then-owner Robert Solomon of Palm Springs, California, Olga's Kitchen declared bankruptcy.

The business was later purchased by Livonia-based TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants, which returned the chain to profitability by closing money-losing mall locations, opening new locations and bringing back classic recipes for popular Olga's dishes.

“Olga Loizon was a Detroit original whose trademark was to leave everything she touched wrapped in love — from creating her Original Olga and meeting with our loyal guests, to caring for her family and supporting her community,” Mark Schostak, executive chairman of TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants, said in a statement.

Born in Detroit

Loizon was born Olga Patrick in Detroit and brought up in Hazel Park. In 1947, she married John Loizon, who survives her.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two siblings, Alexandra Zoyes and Costa Patrick.

She is also survived by three children, Emily Kontos, Bill Loizon and Ernest Loizon and two grandchildren.

TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants has launched the Olga Loizon Memorial Foundation, which is aimed at providing financial assistance to Michigan’s aspiring female entrepreneurs.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Olga Loizon Memorial Foundation and sent to TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants headquarters at 17800 Laurel Park Drive North, Ste. 200C, Livonia, MI 48152.