Dearborn's L.A. Bistro Thrives in New, Bigger Location

If you build it, they will come.

And at west downtown Dearborn's , the customers just keep coming.

At 2:30 p.m. on a Monday afternoon, Souheil Johair sits in the booth of the busy restaurant and quickly glances over every table. His eyes stop at one where a group of college guys sit and he directs a passing waiter to check on them. 

“His ice tea isn’t full,” he says of one of the customers. “That drives me crazy.”

Souheil, 28, is dressed in a silver button-down shirt and a sleek black tie. His attire matches the beige walls and mocha tiles that make up the classy ambiance around him.

“When you’re the owner, you want everything to be perfect,” he says.

Souheil is the owner of L.A. Bistro, which opened in its new location at 21928 Michigan Ave. on April 9 to instant success.

Customers of L.A. Bistro can expect mostly Italian food, but some California-style sandwiches as well. Prices for lunch are on average about $8; dinners, around $14.

“We’re proud to say that it’s some of the freshest food you could possibly buy,” says executive chef Ahmed Johair, who is also Souheil’s brother. “We take the extra step to give the people quality food.”

The new restaurant is about four times bigger than the old location, raising the seat count from 30 to 130. Just a few blocks away, the old L.A. Express opened in 2001.

“We expected business to be busy, but we didn’t know what ‘busy’ was in a place this big,” Ahmed says.

But growth is a trend they're used to. Every year, L.A. Express “just got busier and busier,” Souheil says. “By 2011, it was out of control. There was a line out the door every day for lunch and dinner.”

The family runs the business together. Souheil and Ahmed’s older brother Sami is also an executive chef. Their father Samir overlooks the operations and handles the behind-the-scenes work.

“None of us had any restaurant experience at all,” Souheil says. "The only thing we knew was what our dad taught us through cooking. We just winged it and figured it out on our own.”

The family moved to America from Beirut in 1991. The boys grew up in Dearborn and graduated from . During his time at Fordson, Souheil began working for his father at L.A. Express.

“Me and my father were the only two employees back then,” he said. “There was no management on the floor. I wasn’t crazy about that.”

Business, he says, began to pick up in 2003, so he invited his brothers Sami and Ahmed onto the staff. They accepted.

“It was just like a miracle or magic or–I don’t even know what to call it, man,” Souheil says. “As soon as we started working there together, people just kind of knew.”

Advertising, Souheil says, was a huge part of making the business successful. Not necessarily in media, though–the Johairs took a different route.

“I advertised to the schools and colleges,” he says. “I kind of fed the football players, the basketball team–all the cool kids. I brought them in, I fed them. And of course with all of the cool kids comes the not-so-cool kids. Before you know it, my place was packed with kids. High school, college.

"Three to five, our slowest time, became our busiest time."

Their philosophy is also a bit different, too, explains Souheil, who took classes at Eastern Michigan University on restaurant and hotel management.

“The customer who complains is your best customer,” he says. “Why? Because they like your restaurant. They like your food. They just want you to fix the problem so they can come back. If somebody didn’t tell me that the mashed potatoes had too much salt, I would’ve served those mashed potatoes for the rest of the night.”

And for the Johairs, it's all about getting it right, pleasing their customers, and family.

“This is one of the most stressful businesses you can be in,” Ahmed says. “But you know what? It brings my family closer together and it helps us see what we can accomplish when we’re working closer together.

“We put our blood, sweat and tears into this place and our customers. We just want everyone to be happy.”

If the filled tables are any indication, they are.

“I love the city of Dearborn because the people love to eat,” Souheil adds. “If they find a good meal for a good price, they’re addicted.”

For more information on L.A. Bistro, call 313-277-5999 or visit their website, www.la-bistro.com.