THE three sons of one of the kingdom’s most cherished restaurateurs, who recently underwent intricate head surgery, are joining together to ensure their popular bistro remains firmly under the family’s control … and have even revealed plans to expand the brand overseas.

Brothers Babiolakis, namely Pavlos, 30, Alexandros, 26, and Andreas, 22, stepped into the fray after their dad Mano, 59, was struck down by a massive tumour, and their mum, Rena, 58, concentrated on offering her stricken husband care and support.

It had always been their intention to one day pool resources on the business but the sudden health crisis focused the minds and ignited an entrepreneurial spirit still firmly focused on ‘family’.

“It’s been my dream that one day I would see my children working together because they’ve all got their own special attributes and they complement each other so well. I always thought they would make a wonderful team,” said proud dad Mano, who moved with the family to Bahrain from Zimbabwe and opened up a small operation with Rena at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in 2003.

Manos The Family Bistro, grew from strength-to-strength over the years, famed for its sizzling steaks and power salads, and Rena’s desserts. It has quadrupled in size into a bustling 120-seat restaurant in which customers are politely advised to book at least three days in advance to secure a place.

The workaholics, who until recently took separate holidays to ensure one of them was always steering the ship, had dreamed on slowing down the pace, Rena said, in around ‘five years’ time’ but June’s dramatic events put paid to that.

Mano, who grew up in Mozambique, the African nation in which his great grandparents had settled after leaving Greece in 1896, noticed that his vision was becoming impaired and took a trip to the optician.

There was more to ‘his eyes getting hazy’ and a subsequent appointment at King Hamad Hospital and an MRI scan dramatically revealed a large macroadenoma, a benign tumour that had been slowly growing on the surface of his brain.

“The surgeons did a wonderful job during a 14-hour operation,” said Mano. “They opened up the top of my head like a can of sardines and took it out.”

More than 126 stitches and pins were used to seal it back up and he returned to the family home in Janabiya before taking a much-needed break to convalesce with his wife at a holiday home the couple had recently bought in the Cyprian mountains.

“After the op took place people kept saying not to worry, everything was ‘100 per cent’ at work, your children stood by you and their mother superbly,” said Mano. “I was so proud of them all.”

Rena echoed those sentiments, saying: “They were our pillars of strength.”

The couple could have sold up, they’d paid their dues after a lifetime working in the hospitality sector, and there were plenty of offers on the table to buy the business.

Rena said: “We have had people ask to buy us out but we had to consult our children first. The reaction was ‘no way – this belongs to us – it’s our legacy and we will take it on’.”

The boys, all former St Christopher’s School pupils, had been talking about the possibility of joining forces despite life taking them into different, although complementary, directions.

Pavlos, went to Cardiff University studying management with a focus on consumer psychology, returned to Bahrain working for a family business, running operations in Saudi and Qatar, before joining BMMI in 2012 as a marketing executive for Alosra Supermarkets, moving to purchasing manager, product and development manager, acting head of operations and head of customer experience.

He explained: “Dad has been running restaurants since the age of 26, mum has been in catering from an early age and gained a glowing reputation as a phenomenal baker, my side has been in marketing, development and food retailing with an understanding of the corporate world, Alexis studied in the US concentrating on nutrition and health and Andreas developed a thorough understanding of food & beverage and the hotel and hospitality sector.

“We’re confident it’s an unbeatable combination of skills, experience, knowledge and talent and we’ve so many exciting plans on how to work together with our parents and grow the business.

“We have been doing this ‘since forever’. From a young age we were washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, helping, serving and operating cash registers. Whilst my parents have a combined 80 years of experience we’ve been kind of doing this for more than 15 years … whether we liked it or not!

“And now, looking back at it, growing up around Manos, we were been brought up with an intense work ethic, plus an appreciation and understanding of what hard work can achieve.”

Andreas, studied in Greece and achieved a Bachelor of Arts in Hotel Management, enjoying internships in the process at the Movenpick Hotel Bahrain as well as at a resort in Montenegro.

He said: ‘We will keep value for money and top quality at the core of our business for ever more.

“We have customers who come four or five times a week – and some are still with us from day one. They have kept up with the family’s journey and are eager to play a part in our future endeavours.

“It’s more than a business, it’s what has helped house us, feed us and educate us. It’s too close to our hearts to simply let it slip away.

“We don’t sugarcoat it – you get what you pay for at Manos. It is home-cooked, great value and great tasting fare without the frills. People like coming down here because it has a bit of personality about it too.

“The food we serve is the food we eat at home, inspired by the Mediterranean with a touch of South African, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the mix.”

And the loyal 15-strong team of staff play a pivotal role, the family says, with many of the staff members and chefs having watched the children grow from boys into men.

Although home is where the heart is, the family business has ambitious plans with America in its sights. Alexandros will marry Jenna Caputo, 25, next March, the woman he met while he was studying at college in the US.

Alexandros looked like carving a career as a professional footballer in Spain before a serious foot injury put paid to his plans but the business contacts he made Stateside are now paying off. “The worst thing that ever happened to me turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me!” he said.

He runs an online trading and marketing business and has been working on a joint project with his brothers and parents to launch Falafel Fresh, a vegetarian healthy food-on-the-go concept, with an outlet in Florida.

“We’ve planned it out and we have the location. Next we’re looking at opening at airports, malls, business districts … we plan to go all over with it.

“Everything ties together under one big umbrella – we all have a piece of the jigsaw and we are putting together a plan to develop Manos into a bigger entity - Manos Group will be an international brand.

“But even though we are looking at doing bigger things, it always stems down to your roots and the small things that make the big things happen.”

Manos The Family Bistro will be getting a warm makeover too with a ‘family wall’ installed celebrating Mano’s roots dating back to his farming parents and grandparents who were among the largest agricultural produce growers in Zimbabwe.