Heidi’s secret sauce – the Ohanessians’ 40-year recipe for loyalty

A monolith of Moody Street, Heidi’s Restaurant has been an anchor in Waltham for 40 years. Meet the family that has been behind the counter every day since 1985. 

Nazar Ohanessian, known to his regulars as George, is the first to say he’s just one small gear in the Heidi’s machine. He inherited the place from his mother, who came over from Greece in 1969 shortly before he was born. He’s more comfortable attributing the restaurant’s success to her than himself. But it’s clear that he’s a lot more essential to the restaurant’s operation than he admits. 

The restaurant started when he was 14, and George has been taking orders, wiping tables and keeping numbers since the beginning. 

“I was the only kid at school who wasn’t excited for the weekend,” he said. Back then, he explained, Moody Street wasn’t much. “Nobody wanted to be around there.” 

The block around Heidi’s has changed drastically over the years, and it is now a bustling area. But the Ohanessians are still behind the same counter, offering the same menu. As dive bars became gastropubs, Heidi’s has stayed consistent. George’s mother started the place following the American diner tradition, and that’s not changing anytime soon. The clientele they’ve always served are consistently in the door within a few minutes of opening at 5 a.m. 

George has watched a lot of people grow up, he said – children are born, parents become grandparents. Developing those relationships is easily George’s favorite part of running the business. The Ohanessians, it seems, have no trouble holding onto customers.

Measuring success in the restaurant industry usually comes down to numbers. Heidi’s isn’t immune to the volatility of the economy, having had to adjust for skyrocketing prices and wage requirements. But customers can still get a breakfast sandwich for under $5. 

There’s a resiliency at Heidi’s, which has weathered past challenges. George set up his own delivery service and managed to stay open every single day throughout the COVID pandemic. “It was a struggle, but we never let one employee go. We didn’t make any money for about two months, just enough to pay the bills and the employees, and that was it,” he said.

The Ohanessians seem to handle such challenges with humility. George credits his mother’s work ethic and temperament for setting up the restaurant’s success. “She’s not like me – I worry about everything. She grew up very poor, so she always had a lot of ambition. She’s balanced.”

Instead of looking at brass tacks, George measures his success by the help he has been able to give his family and the intangible impact his family has made on Waltham. “I’m very proud of the fact that I can go anywhere and walk in and see people that I know, and they all say good things,” he said. 

Of course, it’s hard to even imagine something negative to say about George and his family. Their craft is in the food, but their real trade is care and dedication to the people coming through the door. Over 40 years, they’ve become masters.

For George, it may feel like going through the motions, but the legacy of the restaurant in Waltham is undeniable. This is the reward for decades of consistently personal and dedicated customer service, which transcends the label of “customer.” People coming through the door may start that way, but George wants to know them – “where they come from, what they’re doing here.” 

Eventually it feels less like buying a coffee and more like visiting a good friend.