Bill Regas was the beaming face of Regas Restaurant. Now, he's remembered with a smile

Countless first dates, business dinners and birthday parties were held at Regas Restaurant since 1919, when two Greek immigrant brothers founded downtown Knoxville’s long-running culinary staple.

And from the time Bill Regas took over the family business more than three decades later, Knoxville City Councilperson Janet Testerman said, nearly everyone who walked through the door was greeted by its proprietor.

Bill Regas died Monday at age 92, leaving behind a legacy founded on family and treating customers like they were a member of his own. 

“He took such pride in our community and really wanted genuinely what was best for Knoxville and for the people in it,” said Testerman, whose mother was a companion to Regas since 2007.

Testerman can’t remember a birthday passing without a call from Regas, who would sing to her over the phone. He acted as a father figure and loved composing hand-written notes any time he read about her in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

“He was so good at just acknowledging any little accomplishment or celebration,” said Testerman, who previously worked at the restaurant. “He made you feel like the most special person in the world any time you had an interaction with him.”

From his youngest grandchild to the oldest family member, Testerman said, Regas dedicated much of his energy to being present for his loved ones. He regularly updated his license plate with his endearing family nickname of “Poppy” and the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren he had. 

His most recent license plate, according to a Facebook post from Testerman, was “Poppy23.”

“Nothing meant more to Bill than his family,” she said. “And that is truly his greatest legacy. … He loved his family, and they loved him.” 

Regas Restaurant served meals for more than nine decades in downtown Knoxville before closing its doors in 2010. Regas was 81 years old at the time, calling the restaurant his “pride and joy.”

“We wanted so badly to keep it going,” he said, according to Knox News archives.

The University of Tennessee's Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management honored Regas in 2011 as a "legend of the industry." He described his job as "one of the greatest things in life."

"It's hard to give it up," said Regas, who began running the restaurant in the 1950s. 

Friend and video biographer Joe McCamish said Regas’ mother died when he was just a boy, leaving him and his brother to be raised in the restaurant. McCamish was just a “young green pea” himself when he first met Regas, inquiring with the restaurateur about advertising in his restaurant magazine.

“He was on top of his game,” McCamish said. “And he always treated me just like an adult in the room, and I was 20 years old. And he treated everyone that way all the time. He was never anything but a gracious professional man who had a sweet heart and a quick smile. And he remembered everybody by name.”

McCamish recalled having dinner at Chesapeake’s Seafood House with Regas and his family when a kitchen worker stopped by their table after the restaurant cleared out. The man embraced Regas for giving him his start in the restaurant industry 30 or 40 years prior.

“There was so much love, and he sat there and held Bill’s hand and told him he’ll never forget how special Bill Regas made him feel,” McCamish said. “Every time I was with Bill Regas there were people who came up to him and had anecdotes like that. … He gave so many people opportunities in this town.”

Regas sat down with McCamish a few years back to capture the story of Regas Restaurant on video. However, the focus quickly shifted from the restaurant to his family and the impact they had on his legacy.

He was happy to see the Regas Square property developed with the Regas sign on top, visible for passersby on Interstate 40, McCamish said. 

"They said that Regas sign will be up there forever,” he said. “That’s a great legacy to leave for Knoxville.”

While sharing his story with McCamish, Regas talked about his father, who never turned away customers during the Great Depression — as long as they lent a helping hand.

The restaurant remained a café until the '60s and early '70s, when it was converted into a fine-dining establishment, McCamish said. For years, Regas went table to table greeting customers. 

“And so that became part of the tradition was Bill Regas stopping by your table to say hi,” he said. “And that was truly just a genuine thing he learned just being a Southern gentleman.”

Regas enjoyed the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Testerman said. It was hard for him to participate in too many hobbies as a restaurant owner, according to McCamish, and spending decades on his feet made it difficult to pick up new hobbies after retiring. 

But his passion for quality service was a hobby in itself. The people who dined at the restaurant were never called "customers" or "clients"; Regas always referred to them as "guests," McCamish said. 

McCamish said his thoughtful approach to customer service helped launch many careers in Knoxville’s restaurant industry and beyond.

Regas Restaurant was recognized on a national scale, partially thanks to Regas' leading role in a national restaurant association, and celebrities routinely visited the restaurant when passing through town.

While the white tablecloths and red velvet cake will never be forgotten, the restaurant’s legacy would be incomplete without Regas’ smiling face.

“Everybody loved Bill Regas, across the board,” McCamish said.

An online tribute has been created to share memories of Bill Regas.