“From the time Town Grill and Pizza opens each morning to the time it closes for the night, owner George Abdin is typically found in the often crowded dining area or behind the kitchen. He works about 90 hours a week — all day, every day — making sure everything inside his restaurant runs smoothly and that his customers leave satisfied. Town Grill & Pizza has been a part of the Cowpens community since 1994 and serves Italian, Greek and American dishes. Abdin says his active involvement in his business has contributed to its longevity and success, reportw GoUpState.com.”

‘“In so many restaurants, you will see the owner wearing a suit and tie, but they don’t actually spend a lot of time working in the restaurant,’ he said.’ He or she may come in once or twice a week; I think that’s a mistake. And I think that’s why so many restaurants close. You always have to be around and make sure that everything stays the same and that everything operates smoothly.”’

“Abdin, who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., has been cooking since he was 16. He has worked in restaurants most of his life and learned the craft by watching chefs throughout the years. ‘I used to work at a five-star restaurant in downtown Charlotte. I’ve worked in New York, and I also worked at Famous Pizza in Boiling Springs. I pretty much learned to cook by watching the chefs I worked with, and I’ve worked with Italian, Greek and American chefs.”’ So when he opened Town Grill and Pizza 18 years ago in a building that was formally a seafood restaurant and a hamburger joint, it’s no surprise that he decided to dish out cuisines from all three countries — pizza, cheeseburgers, pasta, gyros and more.”

“He says he found the town of Cowpens almost by accident. ‘I was traveling from Charlotte and they had some construction on (I-)85, so I had to take some back roads. I went through the town for the first time and knew this would be a good place to open up my restaurant,” he said. “I had a feeling I would do good, because I knew what I was doing.’ The restaurant makes the pizza dough, the marinara and meat sauce and even the salad dressings from scratch. In fact, all of the Greek, Italian and American menu items are Abdin’s original recipes.”