Vince Zargarian and Melissa Casillas used to stroll together on the streets of Westwood. During many dates, they sampled the fares Westwood restaurants had to offer.
The nostalgia of their college romance brought Zargarian and Casillas back to Westwood, and the couple have recently opened a new restaurant together in the same neighborhood they shared their first dates.
Casillas, a UCLA alumna of 2006, has dated Zargarian, a chef and catering company owner, for three and a half years. They met at a party in the San Fernando Valley while Casillas was an undergraduate at UCLA.
On Monday, the couple opened the Sweet Pepper Grill ““ a small restaurant attached to Stan’s Donuts ““ at 10948 Weyburn Ave.
“It’s kind of funny, because we used to date over here. We would hang out and we’d walk around,” Zargarian said.
“It was romantic and cool, and I loved the people. I loved the school.”
The couple made the decision to lease the restaurant space from Stan Berman, the owner of Stan’s Donuts.
Stan’s has always had a spot for a small food counter, Berman said. Previously, Marvin’s Diner occupied the space.
“It’s been like this since before your father was born,” Berman said. “When they built this building, that had the original Orange Julius in 1947; it’s always been a food spot since the building was built.”
But despite the popularity of the locale as a restaurant, many businesses have tried and failed to stay afloat, Zargarian said.
“A lot of people came here, opened businesses and left,” Zargarian said.
“I’ve looked into the history a little and it just seems like no one really stayed here for more than a couple years, so hopefully we’ll get the support we need.”
It’s common for Westwood restaurants to turn over after just a few years.
“The Westwood community is very picky,” said Steve Fato, general manager of Asian restaurant Yamato, according to Daily Bruin archives. “They demand for much.”
Casillas said when she went to school at UCLA, she knew of Marvin’s Diner, but had never had the chance to eat there.
Before that, she said, a restaurant called Quesadilla Express occupied the building, as evident by mail she still receives addressed to that name.
She said she realizes that students don’t have a lot of money to spend on expensive meals, leading her to open the new restaurant. And she said she’s very aware of the failure of many Westwood businesses in the past. They’re trying to keep prices affordable to attract the UCLA crowd.
“A lot of the population is students, and as far as pricing goes, we really tried to do our best to meet similar prices with competitors,” she said. “But you do get a lot of food for your money, and a lot of labor goes into it. You get what you paid for.”
The Grill will offer a discount for students, though the exact percentage has yet to be determined, Zargarian said.
It will serve burgers, omelettes, salads, wraps and quesadillas, he said.
The menu is modeled after Zargarian’s catering company, American Caters.
Zargarian named the company after one of his favorite ingredients.
“A lot of people have the same question: how did you come up with the name?” he said. “A lot of our burgers and sandwiches have red roasted peppers in them.”
Due to past difficulties Westwood establishments have had trying to stay in business, he said they are attempting a more subtle opening day rather than a flashy grand opening.
“We’re just trying to get full control of everything,” he added. “No advertising or fliers, just a soft opening.”
Eventually, Casillas and Zargarian have plans to extend their business hours ““ currently 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. ““ to 12 a.m., and eventually start delivering, hoping to even further appeal to students, he said.
The Sweet Pepper Grill owners hope the restaurant will be a long-existing feature in Westwood.
“I was a student, and I know not everyone has money,” Casillas said. “We kept that in mind, and we’re going to serve quality food. As long as we can keep the prices low, I think we’ll do fine.”