State Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville (standing, second from right) visits with Andria Kyriakides (standing, at right) during an open house at Kyriakides' restaurant Theo's in Rockville's Rockshire Village Shopping Center in January. Also on hand were Del. Joan F. Stern (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village and Del. Susan C. Lee (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda. Stacie Marshall/ Special to The Gazette

In Montgomery County, however, restaurant owner Andria Kyriakides not only got the attention of her legislators, but earned enough support to get a state law passed on her behalf this spring in Annapolis.

Last week, Kyriakides' wish of gaining a license to serve beer and wine at her Rockville restaurant was granted when the county Board of License Commissioners approved her application.

"Can you believe it? Are you proud of me? I am proud of me," she said.

Kyriakides' effort to gain a liquor license started last summer when, after moving her small family restaurant from Seven Locks Road to the Rockshire Village Shopping Center off of Wootton Parkway, she realized she could not serve alcohol. The new location was too close to the neighboring Korean Presbyterian Church, and state law prohibited alcohol being served within 300 feet of a religious institution.

The restaurant soon lost some regular customers, and while profits were about the same as previous years, the expenses of the larger restaurant were twice as great. Kyriakides and her sister, co-owner Rosa Martinos, were at a loss over what to do.

What happened next started a long process that ended this spring when Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) signed a bill that allows leaders of religious institutions to waive the distance requirement, thus allowing alcohol to be served.

Rockville City Councilwoman Anne M. Robbins had heard about Kyriakides dilemma, then Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville scrambled to file a late bill on the restaurant's behalf.

"'You went to them and they listened to you. This is big,'" Kyriakides said her husband told her. "In Greece, they are busy to do other things, but it's very very difficult to take one person and change a law."

Simmons said Theo's was the beneficiary of a groundswell of support.

"Theo's is not a mammoth political force," he said. "It's not Wal-Mart or one of these big franchise operations."

The example shown with this bill's passing is that democracy worked for the small citizen, he said.

"It can be as responsive to the small person as it often is to the large-moneyed interest," Simmons said.

Kyriakides praised the work of Simmons and all the supporters along the way, saying she didn't know until the last minute what problems they might encounter. She always had in the back of her mind that it might not happen.

But at the Board of License Commissioners last week, board members told her they hoped she was not going to sell the restaurant because it is historic now.

"They changed the law for you," they told her.

Soon, Simmons will give Kyriakides the pen Ehrlich used to sign the bill into law, and the restaurant will celebrate its ability to serve drinks with a small gathering of supporters.

The day the news came of the license being granted, the well-wishing phone calls came in droves, Kyriakides said.

Now they're looking to bring back menu items their customers loved to nosh with a glass of wine, like lamb, crab cakes, fish and chicken riganato. They hope to start serving alcohol by early August.

Before you know it, Kyriakides said, they'll be saying "Opa!" the Greek way, in celebration.