by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Perched on the 10th floor of the Wachovia Bank Building at the corner of Hogan and Water streets, the Enterprise Center Cafe has a panoramic view of the Northbank skyline from the Omni to the Main Street Bridge.
Owner Larry Hazouri has been coming to work there five days a week for 15 years, but his story as a Downtown restaurant owner and operator started quite a while before that.
“I opened my first Desert Rider sandwich shop on Forsyth Street in 1969. Before that my father was in the restaurant business Downtown with the Roosevelt Grill on Ashley Street back in the ‘50s,” said Hazouri. “Now that Worman’s has closed, I think I’ve got the oldest restaurant Downtown.”
He also opened the High Tide Cafe at the Stein Mart Building on the Southbank 17 years ago and about 39 years ago moved the Desert Rider to Hogan Street near Hemming Plaza. Hazouri’s day starts at High Tide at 5:30 a.m. then after a few hours he heads for the Desert Rider where it’s common to see him working the grill in his signature apron. After the breakfast rush eases up on Hogan Street, Hazouri stops by Enterprise Center and then it’s back to High Tide where he finishes his day about 5:30 p.m.
All three restaurants serve breakfast and lunch, something Hazouri said is key to his success.
“Downtown is a tricky place to stay in the restaurant business. You have to serve two meals a day to be able to meet your expenses like overhead and insurance,” he said.
In addition to the sandwiches, salads, home made soups, salad dressings and cookies, the Enterprise Center Cafe is known for its hot lunch bar. Each day a different special is on the menu and each has developed its own following over the years.
“There aren’t a lot of hot bars Downtown and the others don’t offer sandwiches and salads too,” noted Hazouri.
Customer service has also been a key to success, he added. Lacking visibility from the street, he depends on people who work in the building to patronize the restaurant. That, plus business from surrounding buildings after people discover the eatery, has led to hundreds of regular customers for breakfast and lunch.
“Having a restaurant up in a building is different from being on the street. You see a lot of the same faces every day but some people probably don’t know we’re here. We pay attention to service because it can take months to gain a new regular customer but only one day to lose one,” said Hazouri.
356-2466