Like many 15-year-old boys, Wayne Tselepis wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and someday take over the family business.

Wayne’s parents, John and Cynthia Tselepis, couldn’t agree more. They opened their business, Yanni’s Greek Gyro, largely to give Wayne that opportunity, because in many ways, Wayne isn’t like other teen boys. He has Williams Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes developmental delays, medical problems and some learning difficulties.

“We wanted to make sure he was provided with the life skills he needed and the opportunity to have options,” Cynthia Tselepis said. “He has a wonderful work ethic, he’s very social and he takes pride in what he does.”

Wayne is among an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people in the United States with the condition that affects about one in every 10,000 people, according to the website of the Williams Syndrome Association.

“Children with Williams Syndrome tend to be social, friendly and endearing,” the website states. “Parents often say the joy and perspective a child with WS brings into their lives had been unimaginable.”

But parents also face the struggles of ongoing medical issues — some very serious — and the child’s increasing difficulties with abstract reasoning and numbers, so daily skills can be a challenge.

Careers like the one Wayne anticipates at Yanni’s are well-suited to those with Williams Syndrome, and Wayne loves people and working with his hands, two things he gets plenty of at the restaurant.

Yanni’s — the name comes from the Greek word for Johnny — opened May 20 on South Frontage Road across from The Home Depot. The business has been so successful that the Tselepises have expanded their space — opening a wall into the next unit — and their selections, which include beef, lamb and chicken gyros, Greek salads, spanakopita and baklava.

“We’re growing as we go,” said John Tselepis. “We opened up with a handful of stuff on the menu and gradually added to it.”

John cooks and handles all the prep work in the kitchen, while Cynthia has charge of the counter, finances, accounting and restaurant decor. Wayne and his sister, Ashley, 10, a fifth-grader at Warren Central Intermediate, help after school.

Wayne attends Warren Central Junior High School, where he is in the eighth grade. Though they have their worries about people taking advantage of him, the couple said they never hesitated to put him in public school, which he has attended every place the family has lived.

“He needs to know the world,” Cynthia said, while, nearly simultaneously John said, “He needs to learn to fend for himself.”

“School is awesome,” Wayne said. “I love going to classes and having friends. I like going to art. I like to make stuff.’

At the restaurant, Wayne wipes tables, sweeps floors, stocks napkins and other supplies and fetches items his father needs as he cooks. His favorite job is placing and flipping the bread on the griddles.

“If you ask him to do something, he’ll never say no,” his mother said.

Cynthia, a native of Vicksburg, grew up in the Mount Alban Road area and graduated from Warren Central High School in 1980 and Mississippi College in 1984 with a degree in computer science. John was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa., where his father owned two large restaurants. He has also lived in Greece, but the couple met in Georgia, where they were both working, on a blind date set up by a mutual friend.

Both have children from previous marriages — John has a son and daughter in Greece, and Cynthia has two sons and two grandchildren in Vicksburg.

It was the promise of grandchildren that got her to talk John into coming back after living in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Yanni’s was in the planning stages for about two years before they took the plunge.

“It’s not only for us,” said Cynthia. “It’s for the community, giving them something new, something different, but also for Wayne, so there is something for him to look forward to.”

And he already is imagining the day he and his sister are in charge.

“She’ll be at the cash register and I’ll be in back making the gyros,” he said with a big smile. “Maybe when I get older my parents can help me in the back.”