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Former Mexican restaurant diversifies menu
By kalea hall
austintown
Customers of the former Don Victor’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Austintown might be intrigued by a new menu and new opportunity.
In October, the restaurant changed to Jay Jay’s Roadhouse and began offering a Tex-Mex menu with both steaks and fajitas to meet the needs of every customer.
“They go hand in hand,” said Joe Beshara, kitchen manager of Jay Jay’s.
The restaurant is still making a gradual change from an all-Mexican restaurant to a roadhouse and will have a grand opening in the near future.
Beshara used to own a barbecue restaurant in Austintown back in the early 2000s, and he was frequently asked why he didn’t add his locally famous barbecue to the menu.
“After listening to so many people ask, we decided to diversify the menu,” Beshara said.
The menu still consists of “south of the border” favorites such as fajitas and classic super burros, and also includes steaks, burgers, poultry, pork and seafood.
Serving just Mexican food can be difficult with the abundance of Mexican restaurants in the area, and Mexican food is not liked by everyone, so after 21/2 years, the restaurant is now offering more alternatives.
The change has gone well for the restaurant, Beshara said, especially since the roadhouse is one of the few places an Austintown resident can get a steak at a local restaurant.
“There really isn’t a family restaurant where you can get steak [in Austintown],” Beshara said. “It’s been a positive change.”
The atmosphere of the restaurant, which includes a bar, a video-game room and outdoor patio, will gradually change over time. In addition, the restaurant eventually will be open for lunch from Monday to Thursday, and daily specials will be coming.
“The first impression is so fundamental,” Beshara said.
The restaurant, at 4626 Mahoning Ave., is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The full menu can be found at jayjaysroadhouse.com.