Why ERA Pancakes opened EJ’s Diner across the street in Rib Mountain
The owners of the growing ERA Pancakes chain say the new family-style diner fills a different niche — and so far, it’s working.
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Opening a new restaurant right across the street from your current restaurant might seem odd to most people. But to the owners of the new EJ’s Diner in Rib Mountain, it made perfect sense.
And it’s working.
EJ’s Diner opened one month ago in the building across the street from their current restaurant, ERA Pancakes and Cafe. The new family-style restaurant replaces the former IHOP location, which moved last year.
And while that might seem odd, there are a couple of reasons why it makes sense.
For one, owners Ardian and Viki Jashari started with the Rib Mountain Era location (with Friendship House in Merrill before that) and have built it into a small chain, with a restaurant in Arbor Vitae and another recently opened in Waunakee.
And secondly, the concept is different.
Viki Jashari sat down with The Wausonian to explain the concept. ERA is a fancy brunch spot, with more elaborate menu items such as the fluffy style of pancakes topped with whipped cream and all kinds of extras — the type Leslie Knope would be proud of.
With EJ’s Diner, it’s back to basics. EJ’s is an old-fashioned, family style diner. The couple spent a little under three months remodeling the old restaurant, lending a look to the space that’s at once classic diner style with a modern flourish. It opened on St. Patrick’s Day, largely because the March blizzard delayed them from opening earlier.
Vintage Coca-Cola decorations adorn the entrance view. On one wall, the front end of a classic Bonneville grill overlooks diners. It was not easy to source, Jashari told The Wausonian. “My husband found it online in Appleton somewhere,” Jashari told The Wausonian. “I was calling all the junkyards around here to see if they had any old cars, but they said they don't have any.”
And one more surprising touch — some classic arcade games and pinball. Children of the 80s will remember the ubiquity of such cabinets in restaurants. “We had to explain to a kid how to play pinball because no one plays pinball anymore,” Jashari says. “Not a lot of places have them, so I was helping them out, showing them how to play the pinball machine.”
But the look is one thing. The food is another. Think spaghetti, meatloaf and other homestyle foods which have proven popular. Maybe most popular is steak and eggs, Jashari says.
That’s a big part of why it’s working, Jashari told The Wausonian. The brunch crowd is different from the family style restaurant crowd. And EJ’s Diner is open later for dinner hours, which is different than ERA.
The couple appears to have something figured out about the restaurant business, with three ERA locations and a fourth restaurant now open. What’s the secret?
Hard work and listening to their customers, Jashari explained. They take a lot of customer feedback and incorporate it into their business.
Is there a fifth restaurant planned? Jashari says she doesn’t think so, but then they hadn’t planned a fourth. IHOP moving just seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up.
If another such opportunity pops up, maybe a fifth restaurant will materialize after all.
EJ’s Diner is open Sunday-Thursday 8 am-8 pm; and Friday-Saturday 8 am-9 pm. Find the restaurant on Facebook.
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