Restaurant survives one-two punch

Talk about one-two punches.

For Sonio's Cafe & Rotisserie on West Charleston Boulevard, the first hit came in September 2003, when an electrical fire burned the restaurant to the ground. After tangling for nearly a year with insurers and landlords over the cost of rebuilding, the eatery reopened in November 2004 with an expanded menu and local promotions to lure back regulars.

Sales were solid until that second cuff, the Great Recession. Revenue slumped at least 50 percent in the downturn, as nearby businesses closed and the restaurant's lunchtime clientele thinned.

But once again, Sonio's has risen from the mat, tweaking its offerings and its marketing approach for the second time in a decade to stay on its feet. Those moves have paid off: Sonio's celebrated its 20th anniversary in November. Sales are bouncing back. And owner Yiorgo Aretos has spearheaded a new neighborhood chamber of commerce aimed at helping other area businesses thrive, too.

"It's been a rethinking of our business model, and just understanding that there's so much going on in the world and in this economy," Aretos said. "We've had to rethink our approach to our customers and to business, taking all the good we used to have and infusing it with more good by improving on things."

Those improvements started with a diversified menu.

In early 2010, Sonio's added popular Chicago-style favorites, such as Chicago hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, to its menu of chicken, salads and Mexican dishes such as enchiladas and 2-pound burritos. Sonio's is now known as much for its Windy City fare as it is for its signature rotisserie chicken, Aretos said, and the restaurant's client base is now split 50-50 between the two menus.

Like plenty of local businesses, Sonio's has also kept a lid on prices. Its average bill runs $8, and for November and December, it's offering a $5 to-go special that'll buy a quarter of a chicken with any side or a lunch salad. Aretos said he might extend the promotion into 2012 if it brings especially brisk business.

"That special is designed to help everyone," Aretos said. "It's to say, 'Listen, you've got $5 to spend. Go get a good meal instead of a greasy burger.' That's what it's about here. We've gotta keep ourselves healthy."

And then there are the operational tweaks, like putting all of his major contracts out to bid to get better deals.

With those changes -- and a good dose of social networking -- Sonio's has recaptured roughly half of the sales it lost in the downturn, Aretos estimated.

The Sonio's makeover isn't finished, though. Aretos said he has even bigger plans for 2012.

Sonio's will roll out paperless billing in January to allow customers to receive and pay for their meals on smartphones. The idea came to Aretos after a computer meltdown earlier in 2011 cost him his entire point-of-sale system.

"It'll be more fun and more secure. You won't even have to pull out your credit card," he said.

Aretos is also marketing Sonio's salad dressings to local grocery stores, with plans to have the restaurant's Italian, Greek and Mandarin dressings, as well as its hot pepper giardiniera relish, in stores in 2012. The idea? To reach Sonio's customers who've fanned out over Southern Nevada in recent years and don't frequent the restaurant as often as they used to.

"It's been a goal for me for about 10 years, so the idea was already there," Aretos said. "Customers have always asked us when we're going to bottle our dressings. But the timing is right because we're in a new climate. I thought, 'Let's try something new.' That was my motto for 2011."

That motto led Aretos to mull changes outside his business as well.

Sonio's lies within the Las Vegas City Council's Ward 1, an older area centered on Charleston between Jones and Decatur boulevards. The ward has struggled more than others in the recession, Aretos said.

"This area has really taken a hit over the years. It's always been tough to maintain occupancy (of businesses) around us," he said. "The area got hit really hard in the recession. Now, we're seeing different kinds of businesses begin to come back, trying to really make it. It looked like an opportunity to me to reach out to them and create some sort of chamber of commerce for the neighborhood."

The chamber, now called the Las Vegas Historic District, started with six members in late summer. Now in its third month, the group has more than 40 members. Aretos' efforts earned him Las Vegas Citizen of the Month honors last week from the City Council.

"We're banding together to improve commerce in the area, as well as improve the area visually and offer people who live and work in the area incentives to patronize our businesses," Aretos said.

It's a movement the community could use, said Dr. Steven Avena, a dentist who's lived and worked in Ward 1 for 30 years. Avena, whose Charleston Boulevard practice specializes in dental implants and cosmetic dentistry, hasn't seen his business suffer too much, but he has noticed more commercial vacancies in general, as well as an increase in homeless migration through the area.

"I think it's really important to preserve, protect and beautify the area," said Avena, a member of the group. "I'd like to see some redevelopment."

Avena, a Sonio's regular, praised Aretos' efforts.

"It was all Yiorgo getting it started. It's great to have a good, energetic person who's excited about the area," he said. "You need citizens like that."

Larry Hughes, owner of Sonio's vendor Great Western Meats on Valley View Boulevard, said he's attended a couple of group meetings. The group needs a bit more focus and structure, he said, but he supports efforts to bring new patrons into the area.

"(Aretos) is a good guy, and he's got some good ideas," Hughes said.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.