Billybob goes back to basics

After remaining closed for over a semester, Billybob finally reopened its doors yesterday morning. The closing of the popular late night hangout over the summer was mourned by students and local residents alike. No other place near campus, except Wawa, offered 24-hour service and cheap alcohol. After previous Billybob co-owner Hideo Omori committed suicide in December 1999, his widow Yuko ran the restaurant until her lease expired in August. Six months ago, three men bought Billybob with the intention of restoring it to its original state. "There's no doubt that there's a captive audience out there," co-owner Jack Rinkers said. "The students need a place to go. We're expecting people to be really happy with what they're getting." Silk Road, the Chinese restaurant that previously shared space with Billybob at 4000 Spruce, is gone, as are the pink walls. Seating for 50 has been added in the basement and the kitchen has been renovated so that the grills are out front. Billybob is now focusing on its specialty -- cheesesteaks. "We want to feature our cheesesteaks and our chicken cheesesteaks," Rinkers said. "We want to put out the best product we possibly can." Rinkers also said that Billybob is committed to quick service. "We're trying to get people in and out the door," he said. "No waiting, which is a killer." Anthony Vicidomini, another co-owner, said that Billybob is ready for the expected high weekend traffic. "I'm prepared for the rush every night," he said. "But this is only our first day and our employees have to get used to the system." "So far everything is looking good," he added. "I'm really content." Neighboring vendors said that they are not threatened by the opening of Billybob. "I think it's fantastic," Allegro Pizza manager Angelo Hernandez said. "It's a nice piece of real estate that was just sitting idle and now it's filled again." Hernandez said he is not worried that Billybob may steal business from Allegro. "It's going to bring more kids this way," he said. Billybob patrons have had nothing but good things to say about the reopening. Local resident Christine Scott praised the restaurant's new look. "It's a lot nicer than it was back then," she said. "And it's a lot cleaner." "The food is good," said her husband Dave. "I can tell that it will make a lot of people happy." While the prices at Billybob are slightly higher than before, patrons said that they did not have problems with the costs. "[The prices] are what you would expect," Wharton sophomore Yash Kasbekar said. "What I like is that they're open 24 hours. They should add a delivery service." In defense of the higher prices, Rinkers said that the quality of food is much better than it previously was. "We're trying to make it extremely simple," he said. "Nobody can compare with the cheese steak we're putting on the plate."

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