Pizza Fan, Greece's largest pizza delivery chain, has reopened its stores after a three-week shutdown triggered by an alleged tax-evasion scheme.
Franchise owners said the closure cost them tens of thousands of euros, and workers described weeks of fear for their jobs.
"We were in despair, both us and the employees," said Giorgos, who owns the franchise in the Athens suburb of Kallithea and gave only his first name. "The damage is enormous."
He said owners covered staff wages and other bills out of their own pockets while the stores earned nothing.
They also had to throw away ingredients. Some franchisees are waiting to hear whether the parent company will compensate them.
He also addressed the "treat" option in the chain's ordering software, which investigators say was used to hide sales from the tax authorities.
He said the option was never mandatory and appeared only rarely, and that it has now been removed from the system entirely.
Prices remain largely unchanged, he said, though some unprofitable promotions have been adjusted.
Nikoleta, an employee of two years, said staff were sent home without explanation when the stores abruptly closed on Oct. 22.
"We were told 'leave,' without knowing why," she said. "We have families behind us."
The chain reopened 107 of its 109 stores after authorities partially unfroze its bank accounts. About 2,500 employees returned to work.
Founder Konstantinos Antaras remains in pretrial detention.
He is accused of leading a VAT-evasion scheme worth at least 25 million euros ($29 million). He denies running a criminal organization.