Chris Helms
Lakis Vlahoulis of il Panino Cafe and Grill, right, gestures to Victoria Amador of Tremendous Maid, Rosana Rivera of Latino Beauty Salon and Mayor Marty Walsh.
Chris Helms
From left: Victoria Amador of Tremendous Maid, Rosana Rivera of Latino Beauty Salon and Lakis Vlahoulis of il Panino Cafe and Grill
Chris Helms
Mayor Marty Walsh and Praveen Limbachiya of Jackson Square Laundromat at Il Panino on Tuesday, May 13, 2014.
Domino's Pizza can sell two pies for $10. A neighborhood shop like Il Panino Cafe & Grill can't match that economy of scale.
"Small business is always under attack," said Lakis Vlahoulis, owner of the 268 Centre St. restaurant known for its calzones and thin-crust pizza. "We can't compete."
Vlahoulis and other Jamaica Plain entrepreneurs were on hand Tuesday as Mayor Marty Walsh visited the Jackson Square eatery to announce increased funding for city programs that help small businesses hold their own. Specifically, the Department of Neighborhood Development’s Office of Business Development will double the budget to $250,000 for several such programs. Among them is a "One-on-One Small Business Assistance" program and adding more sessions of their social media class for small business.
Jamaica Plain entrepreneurs were the stars of the show during the mayor's visit. Vlahoulis, who has lived in JP more than three decades, gave an impassioned speech about how helpful the city had been in Il Panino getting their beer license and cutting through other red tape.
"It was fast and painless," Vlahoulis said to about 40 people gathered in his restaurant.
The Greek immigrant's citation of Domino's is no idle mention — the chain has 
[/caption]
Of course, no city program can replace a great product. And that is what il Panino regular Robert Thompson, a retired Boston cop, said the Jackson Square restaurant has. He says il Panino's thin-crust pie is the best in the city.
"My wife and I used to go to Doyle's," Thompson said after the city officials had mostly cleared out of the restaurant. "Now we don't have to go as far, and the food is better."
Businesspeople can find out more about Office of Business Development programs at this link. Jamaica Plain is also served by three Main Streets organizations, which help local businesses access public and private resources: Hyde-Jackson Main Street, Centre/South Main Streets and Egleston Square Main Street.