Nick Erben

Nicholas Betros Erben (born April 16, 1929; died December 2, 2018) was a restaurateur.

Erben, the son of Betros and Jamilia Erben of Birmingham, graduated from Ramsay High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, reaching the rank of staff sergeant.

Erben entered the restaurant business in the early 1950s at Jimmy Resha's popular Bun N' Bun drive-in at Five Points South. He opened Nicholas' Restaurant & Lounge at 1919 Morris Avenue in the Bank for Savings Building in 1984. A few years later he took over the landmark La Paree cafe from Greg Despinakis and kept it open until the building's deteriorating condition forced him to close in late 2003.

Erben was an active supporter of the annual Birmingham Greek Festival. He died in 2018. His funeral trisagion was held at Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral and he was interred at Elmwood Cemetery.

References

• "Nicholas Betros Erben" obituary (December 5, 2018) The Birmingham News