Cape May Brothers to Compete on TV’s ‘Restaurant StartUp’

Two restaurateur brothers from Cape May will be featured on national TV Wednesday (2/3) night on CNBC’s Restaurant StartUp, airing at 10pm.

Yianni and Peter Karapanagiotis are the owners of three Cape May restaurants: George’s Place and YP’s, both on Beach Avenue and Pano, on the Washington Street Mall. They are competing to win start-up money for a fourth restaurant called "Shamone".

Shamone will open in the Washington Street Mall space now occupied by Pano. Instead of a standard menu, restaurant goers will be served 15 small courses du jour, chosen by the chef.

If restaurant investors and show hosts Joe Bastianich and Elizabeth Blau like the concept, the Cape May team will have 36 hours to launch their dream restaurant and try to win financial backing for their new venture.

The Karapanagiotis brothers are competing against a Minneapolis restaurant, The Copper Hen.

The brothers say they signed a confidentiality agreement and can’t reveal the outcome before it airs Wednesday, but their company website is already touting the opening of Shamone this Memorial Day weekend.

Here is the Karapanagiotis brothers' Restaurant StartUp pitch of their idea for a new restaurant on the Washington St. Mall in Cape May...