Lubbock restaurant reveals how it combats industry issues after recent restaurant closures

LUBBOCK, Texas — Restaurants abruptly closed its doors all over Lubbock throughout July.

EverythingLubbock.com reported, The Fresh American, Hooters, Joe’s Crab Shack and Arby’s were among the most recent closures in Lubbock.

For Lamesa resident Kristin Chapman and her family of five, Lubbock restaurants were a part of their weekend plans. She said they travel to Lubbock every weekend and always eat out.

“Coming from Lamesa, we don’t have very many options,” Chapman said

Chapman said she typically looks for good service and quality in the food when her family visits a restaurant.

“It is very expensive to be able to go to a really good restaurant that does have really good quality food,” she said.

Owners of Papa V’s Pizza, father and son, Jerry Mazzamuto Jr. and Jerry Mazzamuto Sr., on Abbeville and Indiana Avenue, said they believe the same thing, and with both those things, they’ve been able to stay in business for decades.

“It is hard to see some places going down, but I feel like if you really put your heart in it, I feel like that you can survive even in this economy with high prices and everything,” Jerry Jr. said.

Jerry Sr. has been in the industry for decades with family recipes from Italy. He has taken his business to bigger cities but said the people are what he likes about Lubbock and they’re committed to serving them.

“You got to talk to people too. They make you social and then they remember you so that’s what I like. Doing things that are different is what people like then they come back, talk to their friends and talk to their social media,” said Jerry Sr.

Jerry Jr. added, the quality of their pizza is what they’ve also made a priority.

“You gotta be consistent, right? That’s the biggest thing, we always try to be consistent, we don’t want to send out a bad product,” Jerry Jr said.

The father and son believe going the extra mile keeps customers coming back even in hard times.

“I feel like if you’re on your game, you’re gonna have people so we just gotta just stay competitive,” Jerry Jr. said.

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