Pepe’s makes splashy return

BY Ariana Shah

Pepe’s Restaurant is as much a tradition in Canyon Lake as is the lake’s iconic lighthouse. It’s been sitting across the street from the Main Entrance to Canyon Lake since the late 1970s. Now, as a year-long pandemic is mercifully winding down, Pepe’s has new blood.

Canyon Lakers Erin and Ed Ryder purchased the restaurant, closed it for remodeling and have now opened its doors wide with a fresh and exciting atmosphere, but with a whole slew of familiar faces.

Photo by Ariana Shah

“My husband has lived here for the majority of his life, and I’ve been out here for seven years,” Erin said. “We want to retire here and live the rest of our lives in Canyon Lake. We have always wanted to own a restaurant close to home, so we chose Pepe’s. We have always loved Pepe’s. We used to play in a pool league at Pepe’s back in the day.”

Beyond the new modern marble floors lies a rich history of Canyon Lake. Pepe’s Restaurant has always been a popular restaurant for Canyon Lakers. When Pepe’s first opened almost 50 years ago, it was an anomaly. The restaurant, in tiny Canyon Lake, was one of the only restaurants in Southwest Riverside County with table service. Lake Elsinore and Sun City had a couple, but nothing else anywhere close. Business lunches for those from nearby towns were often taking place at the restaurant up Railroad Canyon Road.

Photo by Ariana Shah

Now there are as many restaurants in the Canyon Lake Town Center than there were in surrounding cities back then.

“We love the Town Center. We love our location. Pepe’s is a freestanding building right up against the street,” Erin said. “Golf carts and cars can all park right outside our doors. The floor size is great, too. Everything is just so optimal. We have always wanted to own this location.”

Previous owners Laura and Victor Demoreno sold the restaurant to them and they’ve been in heaven…and incredibly busy…ever since.

Erin and Ed inherited a restaurant fresh off a remodel of sorts after an overhaul from the television show Bar Rescue. The television series focuses on transforming struggling bars into vibrant and profitable businesses.

Photo by Ariana Shah

The show’s producers had redesigned Pepe’s as a golf bar, as they mistakenly assumed that since there were golf carts everywhere, that the entire community was made up of golfers. The bar was renamed Par Bar, and all of the decor was changed to a golf motif. The previous owners kept some of the decor, but changed out some to tone down the golf theme and focus on the lake. They took down the Par Bar signage and renamed it Del Lago.

The restaurant did see a spike in business, but it was short-lived as the pandemic hit in early March.

Erin and Ed decided to get rid of the Del Lago sign and re-focus everything to the fabulous Pepe’s name recognition. The bar is now simply named Pepe’s Cantina.

“We do not have anything left from Bar Rescue,” Erin said. “Everything has been replaced.”

The entire restaurant is updated.

Photo by Ariana Shah

“Pepe’s is a whole new restaurant. It’s brand new. Everything is different now,” she said. “The restaurant we were all familiar with pre-COVID-19 is now completely different. It might be hard for others to see how everything has changed and they’re no longer coming back to the old Pepe’s. We have worked with the community to see what they like and are listening to them as to how to move forward.”

Despite all the changes at Pepe’s, including a new menu, Erin and Ed are planning to bring back Taco Tuesdays and Sunday Brunch. They also brought back many of the previous owner’s staff.

“We took back any staff who wanted to come back,” Erin said. “We re-interviewed them and hired them. There’s quite a bit of staff who chose to come back. We have a DJ that comes four nights a week. Once COVID-19 rules start adjusting, we will have live music. We’re also hoping to expand into an outdoor patio.”

Photo by Ariana Shah

Erin and Ed are not amateurs to the restaurant and bar industry.

“We have been in the industry for 20 years,” Erin said. “I was a bartender, and now that I’m in my 40s, I wanted to buy my location. It’s my husband’s and my passion.”

Pepe’s isn’t their only restaurant. They purchased the Boiler Room in Temecula 11 years ago and three years ago they bought The Old Town Pub in Temecula. How do they manage the challenges of opening a new restaurant in Canyon Lake while running the other two?

“We just don’t get a lot of sleep,” Erin said with a smile. “We try to be very strict and precise with everything we do.”

Opening Pepe’s in the middle of a pandemic hasn’t been the easiest task.

“We have had to change so many things amidst COVID-19,” she said. “It’s been very challenging to open a brand new restaurant in a pandemic. All aspects of the business have been impacted.”

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah

Photo by Ariana Shah