Taziki’s Mediterranean Café is 25 years old this month, pushing to further define its brand while at the same time reaching into different parts of the United States.

But in some ways, the last three years have shown that decisions made just before the COVID-19 pandemic equipped the company to not only weather the economic chaos of the short-term, but prepare for the future.

“It’s been about agility,” CEO Dan Simpson said.

“The last three years, we’ve seen the pandemic, a labor crisis and supply chain difficulties. The one thing that’s made the difference is our willingness to adjust. We have a genuine group of bighearted people. There are some things we never want to change.”

It was during a 1997 trip to Greece with his wife Amy that founder Keith Richards got the inspiration that led to their first restaurant at the Colonnade in Birmingham a year later.

Keith continues on as Taziki’s chief culinary officer, and his influence shows as the chain continues to stretch the definition of Mediterranean cuisine.

For example, the lamb burger – not what you’d usually find on the usual in Athens.

But griddle-cooked American lamb patties on a toasted kaiser bun with feta cheese, sliced tomato, grilled onions and peppers and a helping of Taziki sauce, sits comfortably alongside the roster of Greek salads.

Or an item being currently tested in Birmingham and other cities – baklava cheesecake, combining cream cheese and sugar with flaky phyllo dough, honey and walnuts.

Simpson came on as the company’s chief innovation officer seven years ago before his elevation to CEO. He said he never really aspired to be in the restaurant business.

“But this is the hospitality business, which means it’s about people first before it’s about food,” he said. “This is a business that’s ripe for innovation, ripe for figuring out how to be relevant.”

Just five years ago, for example, Taziki’s had more than 80 restaurants in 16 states, but it took some brainstorming and vision to figure out what the next step needed to be.

“We had a great menu, but we didn’t have a clear direction of how to bring this menu into different parts of the country where preferences are different, so it was about clarifying our menu and brand position,” Simpson.

“We had to ask ourselves, ‘How do we do modern Mediterranean for the masses?”

It took innovation, and flexibility, to navigate the sudden changes of the pandemic that began about this time three years ago.

Like other restaurants, Taziki’s suddenly had to pivot to doing the lion’s share of its business through takeout and delivery. The company had already done most of that work before, in preparing its mobile app.

Now, about half of the chain’s customers aren’t in the chain’s dining rooms – they’re picking up orders, waiting for deliveries, or sampling the food through catering.

When Simpson joined the company, 80 percent of Taziki’s business was dine-in, he said.

“We’re meeting our guests where they are,” he said.

At the same time, Taziki’s is looking at expanding into new territory. The chain has 21 stores in Alabama alone, and passed 100 locations nationally last year.

Simpson said the chain plans to continue growing across the Southeast and into other parts of the country, looking for “likeminded restauranteurs.”

Expansion is ongoing into Raleigh-Durham, Indianapolis, St. Louis, New Orleans, Denver, Cincinnati. Simpson said the chain has a clear path of getting to 150 units within the next five years, but only through focusing over the food, and developing its next generation of leaders.

“We’re expanding across Texas, and we’re talking about pushing into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic,” he said. “We’re scheduled to open 12 to 15 more units this year.”

However, the core culture, established by Keith and Amy Richards, must remain the same, he said.

“A lot of restaurants have gone out of business over time,” Simpson said. “To see the endurance of the brand is really worth paying tribute.”