Slow sales prompt menu changes, revamps

Faced with slow sales, some restaurants are tweaking their offerings -- or revamping their entire businesses.

-- The Hi Life in Kingsburg, also known as the Hye Life, is turning into a sports bar.

It was once known for its high-end food, but "people don't want to spend money anymore," says Hi Life owner Tim Pashayan. "We just don't have the demographics."

The transition away from high-end food has been a slow one for the 9-year-old restaurant. As the economy was waylaid, so were the days of charging $64 for a 30-ounce rack of lamb.

The Hi Life switched to $14-$28 meals, but still couldn't make it work. In August 2008, the owners ended dinner service, opting to operate as a bar and banquet room.

They gave the restaurant another shot in January with a seasonal focus and entrees in the $18-$27 range. But this year still was tough, and co-owner Vince Antonino left the restaurant, Pashayan says.

In November, Pashayan started testing housemade burgers, fish and chips and chicken strips -- and found that customers ate them up. So while the economy struggles, he's sticking to a menu with $10 dishes, adding televisions and doubling the size of the bar.

On Saturdays, the restaurant also sells Armenian lunches, with dishes such as lulu kebabs, baba ghanoush, and hummus.

As of Jan. 1, the restaurant will be open daily 11 a.m.-2 a.m. For more information, call (559) 897-3079. The Hi Life is located at 1671 Simpson St., Kingsburg.

-- A less drastic example of restaurant tweaking is Ruben's Rib Shack.

In response to a slow holiday season, Ruben's is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on three dinners: the $9.99 rib dinner (with 2 spareribs and 2 side dishes), the $9.99 fried chicken dinner (with five pieces of chicken and three side dishes), and the $7.99 barbecued chicken dinner (with four pieces of barbecue chicken and two side dishes).

The special will last until the end of the year, says owner Ruben Avila.

Business "was great through the spring and summer," says Avila, who saw sales drop "kind of right after the [Big Fresno] fair." Since Ruben's has been open for less than a year, it's hard to tell whether the slowdown is seasonal, or if there are other factors at play.

Ruben's is at 2421 E. Clinton Ave., near the northwest corner of Clinton and Fresno Street. Hours are Tuesdays-Saturdays 11 a.m. -7 p.m. Call (559) 222-7422 for more information.

And here's a note about Batter Up Pancakes' appearance on the cooking show, "Bringing it Home with Laura McIntosh."

Jeff Colla, co-owner of Batter Up Pancakes at Brawley Avenue and Figarden Drive, made pancakes with orange butter at an orange grove in Exeter. The episode airs 6:30 p.m. today on KFSN (Channel 30.2). For more information and links to recipes, go to my blog.