Growing up in a restaurant creates a passion for hard work, creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as a strong sense of family. That’s what John Paul Farah experienced, growing up in his dad’s first restaurant, Caesar’s Place, which was at the Arcade downtown during the 1990’s. Farah grew up going to work with his father Caesar, where he learned every aspect of running a restaurant.
“He ran it six days a week,” Farah said. “He was the owner, the cook…”
So, when the doors closed on Caesar’s in 2000 due to building renovations and a buyout, both Caesar and John Paul felt something was missing. So, in 2009, Caesar opened the Southside Diner in Parma.
But owning a restaurant wasn’t something either of them planned. Caesar came to this country to go to school for industrial engineering. But he started working with a friend who owned a restaurant and saw how successful he could be. He fell in love with the idea of owning one of his own. So, when his job moved out of Cleveland, he decided to open Caesar’s.
“His whole family was here and he didn’t want to leave, so he saw an opportunity and he took it,” Farah said.
And years later when his dad opened Southside Diner, Farah left his job in computer engineering to help his dad. It was a passion he didn’t realize he had. But growing up in the business, he found his love for it as well.
At first, Southside was offering a $1 breakfast. But the business was struggling to make money. So Farah stepped in and started exploring his creativity and that passion.
At first, business took a dip and the clientele shifted. Change can come hard sometimes. But, in the end, the change was good.
“I started getting creative with the menu, creating new hashes, like our gyro hash and our barbacoa hash,” he said. “Eventually, new customers started coming from other communities. We became a destination in Parma.”
Eventually, they reached number one on Yelp. And Farah was working seven days a week, creating a new dish every week. But it was a lot of work and finding help to keep up with the ever-changing menu was a struggle.
“I slowed down on the menu, we grabbed our favorite dishes and stuck with them and that’s the menu we have now,” he said.
And what a menu it is. With his unique hashes and exceptional french toasts, the menu at Southside is a mouthwatering list of high quality love on a plate.
“We’re Lebanese, cooking is something we take pride in,” Farah said. “Every Sunday for us is a big family feast. So, you don’t want to put anything out that you’re not proud of.”
And you can feel the family when you walk in. From the ambiance to the menu, to the customer service, Southside Diner is family.
The business is run by family too. In addition to John Paul and Caesar, aunts and cousins help out too. And everyone lives nearby. “The diner is the nucleus of our family,” he said.
And after 15 years, it’s become a central spot for Parma too. “I grew up in Parma,” he said. “We’re proud to serve the community.”
About seven years ago, Southside doubled it’s square footage to seat more guests. Farah said his hope is that they can keep growing. In the meantime, it remains a cozy spot on the corner of Pleasant Valley and York that offers some of the best breakfast and lunch around, and if you make yourself a regular, you’ll feel like family, too.