The family-run Ford Continental Cafeteria, located in the Ford House Office Building, will continue to operate until September 2008, House Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard announced Friday. [IMGCAP(1)]

In August, Beard terminated the food services contract with the cafeteria, which has been run by the Skenteris family since 1993. Restaurant Associates, which will take over food service operations in all other House office buildings in December, was set to begin operations in Ford in February.

But the Skenterises appealed the termination, and Beard decided to let them remain in Ford until September — when their contract is set to expire — to provide more time for the family to transition out of the building.

“Those employees in the Ford House Office Building should understand that Restaurant Associates will certainly be their food vendor in September of next year,” CAO spokesman Jeff Ventura said. “But the CAO is committed to a fair and equitable transition period and we thank all employees in the Ford Building for their patience surrounding this issue.”

Siblings Christopher Skenteris and Artemis Dimopoulos, who run the cafeteria’s day-to-day operations, said they are disappointed about leaving Ford but pleased they have a few more months.

“I’m not going to say that I’m ecstatic about that, but at least it helps us out, because the holidays concerned me,” Skenteris said.

The Skenterises also were pleased that in a letter announcing his decision, Beard thanked the family for their service to the House, Dimopoulos said.

“This was very fair to us, and it takes away from being terminated,” Dimopoulos said. “That’s the biggest key right there that makes the whole difference.”

— Elizabeth Brotherton