Pinnacle

Pete ‘Papa Pete’ Kardaras (1892-1974) was born in Greece. He immigrated to the United States in 1922, and settled in Tennessee. He married Sylvia Symohs who was born in Tennessee in 1896. While living in Tennessee Pete Kardaras worked as a chef at the Little Pappas Company. After moving to Bluefield in the 1930s he worked as a chef at the Royal Cafe No. 2.  His son Earl worked at the Royal Cafe with him. He and Sylvia divorced about 1943. In 1952 he married a lady from Greece, Dena Perdikes Wiggins (1920-2004).

Pete Kardaras opened the Pinnacle Restaurant in the late 1930s. His sons Earl and Edward worked at the Pinnacle with their dad. Edward was managing the Pinnacle in 1942. After their mom and dad divorced both Earl and Edward moved to Ft. Worth Texas.

The Pinnacle Restaurant was located at 507 Federal Street beside the West Virginian Hotel. It  was a two story building with cobalt blue windows. The first floor was the main dining room and the second floor was a large banquet room. One of their advertisements read, The Pinnacle Restaurant “An Invitation To Good Food.”  The restaurant could seat 250 customers and averaged 450,000 customers annually. The back of a postcard for sale on several different sites that was sent in 1949 reads “The Pinnacle Restaurant, Bluefield, W. Va. Our all electric kitchen and air-conditioning system assure you of perfectly prepared foods and a cool, comfortable atmosphere while dining with the added pleasure of soft music played through our sound system. Broadcasting facilities available in our banquet room."

The Pinnacle Restaurant was one of the more upscale restaurants in Bluefield.

Pete Kardaras died in 1974. Harvey Daniel Phlager Jr. was well known for operating the Pinnacle Restaurant and Ferrell’s Dinner in Princeton. 

The restaurant was demolished to make room for parking for the Summit Community Bank building.