Juarez Mexican Restaurant closes after 22 years

Word spread fast over the weekend. All it took was one of its regulars walking up to pull on the green doors at the corner of Broughton and Price to find out that their favorite Mexican restaurant had closed. A small, handwritten yellow sign was the only indicator that Juarez Mexican restaurant would not be re-opening for business, ending a 22 year run in downtown Savannah. Employees were notified just before Christmas that they’d be closing at the end of the year.

The reaction late Sunday was about what you would expect. The commentary ranged from “I’m devastated!” to “Not surprising, really.”

For all the talk these days about eating where locals eat, Juarez was recognizable to anyone who has lived in Savannah for any decent length of time. Taco Tuesday nights were popular with the college crowd, the lunch time buffet was once one of the best lunchtime values in the city. So what happened? From my seat, Juarez never really grew with Savannah’s developing downtown food scene. There were a number of reasons why.

When I first moved to Savannah in 1998, I lived in a tiny townhouse on Crawford Square. Juarez was not only the closest restaurant to my home, but it was one of the most popular in town. Popular enough for owner Pedro Sarinana to open a second location on Waters Avenue. By comparison, that location never was quite as successful as the downtown location so it closed. I personally visited Juarez twice a week or more back then. My family and I continued to be regulars for the better part of 17 years. Truth be told, while the restaurant’s closing was certainly sad from a nostalgic standpoint, I can’t say I’m really surprised that the run is over.

I’ve had many conversations with Mr. Sarinana over the years. As I write this, I have a phone call in to him to discuss the closing. I was a regular. We talked about families, we talked about business. We talked about growth in Savannah, which ultimately played a role in this decision, I’m sure.

Mr. Sarinana regularly expressed frustration to me about the lack of attention being paid to his end of Broughton Street. He had been on the corner of Broughton and Price long before the street became as desirable as it is today. Say what you will about the things making headlines downtown Savannah these days, but property values are going nowhere but up. Savannah’s historic district is as valuable a location today as it has been at any point. Mr. Sarinana felt like all of the attention, marketing and clean up was focusing exclusively on the Western end of the street. “If you stand at the corner there where the Melting Pot is,” he told me many many times “and you look down to this end of Broughton,  you don’t think there is any reason to walk down here. So people turn around and go back.” Even the new street lights, he said, stopped short of his end of the street.  “Absolutely true.” says Monica McMasters, owner of B Street Salon. “Every year I am asked to donate for Christmas decorations on Broughton Street, but those decorations always end at Lincoln, so I said forget it.” “We even had to pay to install our own bicycle rack.” she added.

Parking increasingly became an issue downtown at that end of Broughton as well. It is a double edged sword, but for every new downtown resident or new construction going in to vacant lots, particularly on the eastern end of downtown, there is someone with a car. Sometimes more than one car. I can speak from experience that while parking at Broughton and Price certainly isn’t impossible, it is a little more difficult than it used to be. If someone isn’t familiar with or comfortable with the neighborhood, then that could be all the deterrent you need to keep from stopping for a meal. Just one more obstacle to clear. All of that may change if a plan to tear down the Acura dealer at Habersham and Broughton goes through. The plan there is to replace that corner with residential space above retail like much of the rest of Broughton.

It would be easy to say that growth and property tax hikes forced another local business to close, but reality is, some of the blame clearly falls on the business owner as well. I was as much a regular at that restaurant as anyone in this city, so I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt a number of internal factors led to its demise as well.

Over the years, especially the last five, prices were creeping north while portions were shrinking. If you visit a restaurant often enough and order the same dishes often enough, these are things you notice, and I most certainly did. One day I walked in for a take out margarita to take with me for a haircut a B Street Salon next door (don’t judge) and it was a smaller cup, but a dollar higher than normal. I had a feeling that day that this day would come sooner rather than later. Yes, it happened with food as well.

Lastly, and it is truly a sign of the times, was the owners lack of attention to social media and the information age. Not every restaurant owner is Twitter savvy or Facebook friendly, but these days not making an effort to become so is essentially writing your own obituary. Too many people are getting everything they need these days in the palm of their hands. To not make an effort in that department is detrimental to the future of your business. Juarez last entry on Facebook was May, 2014. If you don’t exist on-line, you likely don’t exist at all. Word of mouth will only take you so far. Let’s hope the new tenant recognizes this and gives that more attention.

It’s not nice to kick a man while he’s down, but I’m certainly sorry to see Juarez go. I’m not alone in that regard. Ask anyone who’s been around more than a decade and they will give you a list of reasons why they loved it or why they didn’t. Most people I spoke to did. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough to keep the doors open.

See you on TV.

Jesse