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Oink and Moo owner reflects on 8 years in business

A little more than two months after announcing they were closing their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonathan Arbel and his wife and business partner, Jennifer, announced they would be closing the iconic Fallbrook eatery, Oink & Moo Burgers & BBQ, for good.

"Before the rumors start flying around town, we have some bittersweet news for you," Arbel wrote on the business' Facebook page on May 23. "Jennifer and I have sold our restaurant building. Oink and Moo will no longer exist. We decided it's better to close down with our ratings, reputation and good name intact, instead of letting the Moo open under new ownership. Although it was a difficult decision, Jennifer and I are very happy with the ultimate outcome and we are looking forward to the next chapter in life."

The eatery, famous for down-home, unique dishes combined with the utilization of exotic meats in their dishes, was one of Fallbrook's biggest food draws since it opened in 2012.

"When we started the business, we purchased the building and we didn't exactly know what we wanted to do, but we took a little time to research what we thought the town was missing," Arbel said in a phone interview. "For us it was a combination of burgers and barbecue. But even more than that, I felt Fallbrook was missing the full dining experience, maybe a little funkiness. Our goal was to do everything unique."

The funky restaurant that essentially had most of its seating on a former outdoor patio with mismatching decor and crazy artwork on the walls was an escape for diners.

Arbel said he had been in the restaurant business most of his life but was on a break before he and Jennifer jumped back in with both feet after finding the building for sale.

"We forgot how hard the restaurant industry is and we got ourselves back in and basically running the restaurant; we haven't had a life," Arbel said. "We gave the restaurant everything we had. The coolest thing is when we launched our restaurant, right before we opened, we entered the Taste of Fallbrook. That kind of gave the town something to look forward to and they voted for us and we won the best dessert and best entree categories. That's where I think the support and mutual love for each other came from. We got in front of Fallbrook and it gave us a huge platform."

The fact that the restaurant didn't sit on Main Street or Mission Road, sort of in an unusual location, ended up helping as well.

"We heard that all the time, 'You guys will never make it,'" Arbel said. "And, 'How are they going to find you?' And our theory was always if we gave you great food, great service and a really good atmosphere that you'll come to me, no matter where I'm located. I think that's part of the attraction of Oink and Moo."

Arbel said being open only five nights a week and having the two of them present every night was helpful too.

The cost of running a restaurant that consistently increased and being closed for two months due to COVID-19, highlighted some of the challenges of being in the restaurant business and that certainly was a factor for deciding to close and sell.

"Then COVID came around and in our opinion, we have a really small restaurant," Arbel said. "Sustaining 6 feet distance apart from each other was impossible. At the end, it was really terrifying to go into work and work so closely with so many people in such a small space. Some of the employees, they didn't (care), but Jennifer and I did.

"That kind of stuff weighed on our decision and we kind of decided that the nature of the restaurant industry has changed and it's going to change I think for a good while and it's not what we signed up for. We're about the contact with the people, all the smiles. Giving people hugs when we see them when they walk in. That's all gone, I feel. That kind of killed our mojo a little bit.

 

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