Persia Lounge and Restaurant customers have until Saturday, June 1 to dine-in at the longtime Newhall establishment for the last time, owners announced Wednesday.
The restaurant, located at 24328 Main St., will discontinue its dining option, but will plan to offer its catering and take-out services until July at its current location, said owner and chef Homayoun Daryani. Its hookah lounge will also remain open through June 1.
The plan is to eventually find a new facility within the Santa Clarita Valley to continue catering and delivering. Their decision stems from a decline in business and nearby competition from a growing dining community in downtown Newhall, he added.
“I love the business but since the 2008 recession crash it’s been difficult,” said Daryani. “Unfortunately, this valley, for a Persian restaurant, wasn’t a good target. We live here and my kids grew up here. We didn’t want to move out of the valley.”
While Persia’s dine-in feature has faced a decline in customers, its catering services has remained steady. “About 70% of our business is catering and take out, so when we move to another location we will continue to offer catering.”
In 2006, Daryani and his wife, Mandana, purchased the business and combined their skills and passion for food to the SCV community after running a mom-and-pop market just next door.
They were frequent customers and after purchasing, they had the freedom to add recipes and update the locale. Persia is known for serving up specialties such as their salmon, lamb and boneless chicken kabobs with traditional spices and flavors. The lounge also offers middle eastern-inspired drinks and diverse live entertainment ranging from salsa nights to belly dancing performances.
Persia Lounge and Restaurant will host its final belly dancing event on Friday, followed by “Latino night” on Saturday at 8 p.m. For more information and to place orders, call 661-259-4100 or visit persia-lounge.com.