Stonington — For nearly three decades, Stonington Pizza Palace co-owners Angelo and Aggie Koukoularis had managed to run their business in a cramped space off Stonington Road where only about 25 people could sit down to eat at any one time.

As a result, said Angelo Koukoularis, his Greek pizzas had become largely a take-out phenomenon.

But now Stonington Pizza Palace has broken out of its previous small confines at the Stonington Landing plaza and tripled its space by moving next door after completing extensive renovations last month.

"It feels good," Koukoularis said as he surveyed the comfy booths and homey atmosphere in the new space.

The redone 54-seat restaurant seamlessly integrated into the design some of the mahogany touches of the previous tenant, Savings Institute Bank & Trust, and dark-colored bamboo floors continue the theme. The seating has been configured to allow plenty of space between each party, a far cry from the squeeze required of the restaurant's former 900-square-foot footprint.

The best part for the restaurant's workers is a much bigger and updated kitchen that will allow for an expanded list of food offerings.

"We've been very busy, especially in the evening," said Koukoularis, who grew up in Greece.

To accommodate the larger crowds that accompanied the restaurant's May 20 reopening, Koukoularis has added eight more people to his staff, which now number 22.

The restaurant has gotten word out about its renovations largely through Facebook and the old fashioned way.

"It's word of mouth," Koukoularis said. "It's a small town."

Koukoularis and his wife opened the pizzeria in 1986, after a stint learning the trade at Oakdale Pizza, which Aggie's family owned. Consistency and good ingredients are they're trademarks, he said.

Stonington Pizza Palace was one of the first tenants at Stonington Landing and has been there ever since, serving Mystic, Pawcatuck, Westerly and Stonington.

"What was once a basic pizza and grinder menu has been expanded to include specialty salads, pizzas, calzones, pasta dishes, several mouth-watering seafood dishes and beer and wine service," according to a website listing.

Koukoularis said one of his motivations to expand the business has been the interest that his son, Dimitrios, has shown in helping run the place. He is hoping Dimitrios will produce more income running a restaurant with 2,600 square feet of space than he could manage in the original space.

The restaurant business may be largely for the young, but Koukoularis said he has had a great run in Stonington thanks to a very loyal clientele.

"It's a good town, good people," he said.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow

Business snapshot

WHAT: Stonington Pizza Palace

WHO: Angelo and Aggie Koulouris

WHERE: 530 Stonington Road, Stonington

YEARS IN BUSINESS: 29

EMPLOYEES: 22

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; closed Mon.

PHONE: (860) 535-0886

WEBSITE: www.stoningtonpizza.com