Why US restaurant Omicron isn't phased it shares its name with COVID-19 variant

Right now, the word Omicron will have most people immediately thinking about the COVID-19 variant.

But some residents in the US state of Wisconsin might get hungry when they see the word Omicron.

That's because the restaurant Omicron has been a staple in West Bend for more than three decades.

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"Omicron is a great place to eat," customer Douglas Trapp tells WISN 12 News. "I've been coming here for over 20 years."

The restaurant's Greek owner, Bill Tsiampas, named the restaurant after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.

"We've been here longer than the virus, you know — 32 years," Tsiampas said.

Restaurant worker Alexa Braden says customers who come for the Greek chicken and Gyros sandwiches are all talking about it.

"We were like, is it spelled the same? Is it pronounced the same?" Braden said.

"So it was just kind of funny because we couldn't believe that it would be the same name as us because you don't see Omicron anywhere else."

Customers told reporter Terry Sater they hope the restaurant's newfound name-fame brings in more business to help make up for the shutdowns over the past year.

One such customer, Paul Nelson, says he doubts the new COVID-19 variant will hurt business.

"It's unfortunate but I don't think it's going to make much difference as far as the restaurant is concerned, I really don't," Nelson said.