Another Gray Area

R.I.P.: AJ Peppers

I was sorry to see on my drive into work Friday that AJ Peppers in Niles had closed, but I can’t say that I was surprised.

There were a lot of things I liked about the restaurant when it opened in November and when I wrote about it in January in Ticket. The menu had some great, generously portioned sandwiches – a tender beef brisket, a juicy pulled pork and possibly the best club sandwich in Valley. This club didn’t have lunch meat on it, but slices of turkey and ham cut from the bone.

I had dinner there a couple times with my family and also ate lunch there once or twice a month. The restaurant never had much of a crowd at midday, and it was clear the last time I was there that things weren’t going well financially.

When a restaurant is losing money, there are two things the owners can do – increase business or cut costs – and the latter is easier to do than the former. AJ Peppers revamped its menu, eliminating some dishes (including that club sandwich). It also shrank the portions. The pulled pork sandwich I got on my last visit was about half the size of the one I had on my first visit, and it cost more. Both my lunch companion and I said, ``Well, I guess that’s the last time we’re coming here.’’ That was in mid-March.

Instead of saving money, the restaurant pushed away the clientele it had.

But these are tough economic times to be opening a new restaurant, a business venture that doesn’t have the greatest odds of success in the best of times. I’ve talked to a few longtime local restaurant owners who say they are doing OK. But I think when people are cutting back on their spending, they tend to rely on old favorites and proven winners instead of taking a chance on their one night out at a place where they are not sure what to expect.