West Side Stories: Pejza's Lydick Patio

Jena Stopczynski / ABC57

Based on history alone, Pejza’s Lydick Patio is a community-minded business. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood on the west side of South Bend, the restaurant feels like the locals’ best-kept secret. While new owner Bill Erath doesn't want it to be a secret, he isn't compromising its community roots either.

Erath and his wife purchased the restaurant from Bob and Sherry Pejza in 2022. At the time, the restaurant had been in the Pejza family for over 100 years.

Pejza’s was opened by Bob Pejza’s great grandfather around the turn of the 20th century. Originally located on Western Avenue, the business moved from Western to Ford Street before finally settling into the Lydick neighborhood, where it still stands today.

Over the years, Pejza’s took on many forms, transitioning from a tavern to a fully functioning restaurant, and at one point, even selling sporting goods during Prohibition. Along the way, the family built a steady fan base among locals.

Bob and Sherry themselves bought the restaurant from family in 1983. When it came time to retire, the Pejza’s decided to go outside the family to find the next owner. Sherry was actually the one who gave Erath a tour of the restaurant. In doing so, Erath got a good understanding of the heart of the establishment, not just the business of it.

Even the transaction of the building started out as a sort of promise between friends. Before putting in an offer, Erath was between three different locations for a restaurant. Then he went to a food show.

“The day before I was planning to make an offer, I ran into Sherry at the food show and Bob was there too. I hadn't met him yet. And he and I get to talking and kind of had a handshake deal...and then we just submitted something formal the next day.”

Now, Erath is bringing his experience as a chef for other restaurants to the first of his very own.

Erath considers Pejza’s a “farm to fork” restaurant. Menu items boast Erath’s ideology of “fresh, local, now”, the team striving to be 100% local by sourcing ingredients from area farms and businesses when possible. This model also promotes sustainability at the restaurant, something Erath holds in high regard.

While farm to fork, or farm to table, restaurants tend to conjure up a specific aesthetic in the minds of customers, to Erath, the concept is simply how you get the food in the door. And unlike most restaurants, which stick to a sole theme and flavor palette, the staff at Pejza’s isn’t afraid to experiment with new recipes and fresh takes on the classics.

On any given day, Pejza’s customers can expect a consistent menu of burgers, sandwiches and other hearty eats. They also offer lighter options, like salads and soups. No matter what you like, there’s something on the menu for everyone.

Every so often, Erath also sticks new recipes into the rotation, like the carnitas bowl he recently debuted. The same goes for drinks at the bar. Some of these recipes become a hit, like the carnitas, and get added into the regular menu.

Inspiration for these recipes comes in waves for him. Like writer’s block, Erath can go periods of time without ideas, but any number of factors can trigger a fresh batch of innovation.

“Somebody will order something modified and I'll look at it and think about that flavor," he said. "Or, like, you know, I'll eat something somewhere else, or I'll look at a different menu item somewhere else. And just, it'll click in.”

His personal favorite dishes are usually his newest creations, but a few classics stick out as ones he'll always recommend to customers, like the cheesesteak and pork tenderloin (the latter of which I can personally confirm lives up to the hype). That recipe was actually one of the first Erath developed within the walls of Pejza’s, a dish created with his own restaurant in mind. He said it’s a different experience creating something for your own place versus something for a different business.

And while Erath is slowly changing things up on the menu, at least one item remains: Grandma Pejza's Hungarian Goulash, a staple at Pejza's and one of the only things Sherry asked him to keep as she passed along the family business. 

Another mainstay? The community ties the restaurant has with the Lydick neighborhood. Erath understands the restaurant’s history as a gathering place for locals, and now that he's in charge, he not only wants to grow the business's audience, but establish it as a place residents cherish.

"There's certain businesses that, over the course of time, just become identified with the community that you're in, it becomes part of it," he said. "And I'd love to serve the community in such a way that they're proud that it's part of their community."

As for Bob and Sherry, it's safe to say they trust Erath's lead. They often stop in for a bite themselves.