1 of Vegas’ oldest restaurants closes 2 south valley locations

Paymon’s, which started out serving Middle Eastern food 35 years ago in Las Vegas, has closed its restaurants on South Eastern Avenue.

Paymon’s Fresh Express closed Nov. 19. The healthy fast-casual concept featured build-your-own salad bowls, rice bowls, pitas and wraps made with more than 50 ingredients. Paymon’s Fresh Kitchen & Lounge, a sit-down restaurant, closed Nov. 26. Both occupied the same building at 8955 S. Eastern Ave., near the 215 Beltway.

Why they closed

Increasing rent, staffing challenges, and a 15 percent rise in food costs in the last year contributed to the decision to shutter, said Jeff Ecker, who has run the Paymon’s restaurants for 23 years. “All of that led to us losing too much money.”

The arrangement on Eastern Avenue, with a takeaway Paymon’s and a full-service Paymon’s lying across from each other, also played a role, Ecker said.

“Some people would come in and be confused, especially by Fresh Express. People having to choose between the two, they wound up competing with each other. Had Fresh Express been in a location standing on its own, I think it could have done quite well.”

And raising prices was not an option, Ecker added.

“We have a customer base that’s been with us for 35 years. Some people have been coming in since 1988. We can’t just keep jacking up prices. If we did it at one location, we’d have to do it at the other.

Still open on West Sahara

That other Paymon’s Fresh Kitchen & Lounge, on West Sahara Avenue near South Durango Drive, debuted in 2004 and remains open. Unlike on South Eastern, this Paymon’s has a robust nightlife because of its hookah lounge. The space is significantly larger, allowing for group gatherings. Plus, the center that houses the restaurant is easier for cars to enter and exit.

“West Sahara is holding its own,” Ecker said. “Right now, we’re able to withstand a lot of the inflationary pressures because we’re doing much more volume. Right now, we’re focusing on this one location. When inflation subsides, we’re looking to expand Fresh Express.”

A 35-year history

Paymon Raouf, who still owns Paymon’s, launched the restaurant in 1988 as Middle Eastern Bazaar, on South Maryland Parkway at East Flamingo Road. In 2002, Raouf changed the name to Paymon’s Mediterranean Café & Lounge; by that time, expansions over the years had added a hookah lounge.

Eventually, the restaurant became Paymon’s Fresh Kitchen & Lounge, to signal it served more than healthy Mediterranean food.

In 2004, Paymon’s opened its second location, on West Sahara, followed by the Eastern Avenue shop in June 2018.

February 2019 saw the closing of the original location. Raouf told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that changes in neighborhood demographics and prolonged construction around the business caused the closing. In September 2022, Paymon’s Fresh Express opened inside the Eastern Avenue building.

The West Sahara location offers daily happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. in its lounge. Visit paymons.com.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @JLWTaste on Instagram and @ItsJLW on X.