Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
No viral TikToks, foodie influencers or major advertisements, Dos Amigos in West New York has managed to stay open with just one speciality food item on the menu: pan con bistec.
The secret? Frank Iwaniszyn, the owner of Dos Amigos, told Slice of Culture that a loyal community and a loyal team has been pulling them through for over 30 years.
Before the restaurant became a one-item speciality shop, Dos Amigos, which was opened in the 1960s, used to be a full-menu restaurant.
Iwaniszyn’s ex-father-in-law was the original owner of the Cuban restaurant, which was first located on 19th St. and Bergenline Avenue in Union City before moving to 22nd St. and eventually settling in West New York on 53rd St. in 1992.
“He served everything traditional Cuban food, and eventually the steak sandwiches that he prepared started outselling everything else,” Iwaniszyn said.
When Iwaniszyn decided to make Dos Amigos a steak sandwich speciality shop, he became known for that, especially in Hudson County. The restaurant only sells pan con bistec (steak sandwich) in a small and large size, which can have onions, fries and cheese, if you request it. For drinks, they sell shakes like mamey, papaya, strawberry and mango.
Iwaniszyn took over the business in 1998 after his ex-father-in-law retired, and since then the journey has been full of ups and downs.
In the last 16 years, the restaurant has had two major financial hits, which have not been easy to overcome, Iwaniszyn said. In 2008 when the economy crashed, Dos Amigos struggled to stay open; employees rotated during the week and opened up shop on Sundays to keep the business afloat.
“I had to open up a seventh day on Sunday just to keep it going. Otherwise we would’ve closed definitely if it wasn’t for Sundays,” said Iwaniszyn. “Sundays started off a little slow, but it gained traction really quick and it worked out. It saved the business.”
It wasn’t until 2017 that the business started to see sales go back up to what it was before the crash.
Although being able to continue the business operating was a success for Iwaniszyn, the true win for him was that in the toughest times, he did not lay off or lose one employee, not even during the pandemic where the restaurant made the tough decision to close for nine weeks in a unanimous staff vote.
“I really didn’t wanna lose any one of my employees. because they’re loyal to me, and we’re loyal to them. We take care of each other,” Iwaniszyn told Slice of Culture.
“I’ve always seen them more than my own family, hour wise, you know. I mean, sometimes we go out to dinner. We are family. And, I thank God for that because I miss my regular family. You know, it’s like, I hardly know my daughters to tell you the truth. And that hurts me a lot, to miss out on a big part of their life.”
“Virginia, who makes the sandwiches, she’s been with me almost 26 years. And then Rebecca, one of the waitresses outside, she’s been with me [for] 21-22 years and her sister, Patricia, she’s been with me maybe 20-21 years. The girl inside, who cooks the meat, she’s been with me already seven years,” explained Iwaniszyn.
“I don’t know how long you’ve been coming to my restaurant, but you see the same people working for me for years… My biggest accomplishment was keeping everybody together.”
The friendly community that Iwaniszyn has created at Dos Amigos is also portrayed throughout his loyal customers. He told Slice of Culture how scary, but also heartwarming it is to see long time customers come into the shop with their girlfriends, wives and eventually kids.
One of the craziest yet wonderful moments he had with a customer was when he was getting ready to close up shop early on a snowy Sunday afternoon, and an eight-month pregnant woman, who was a weekly customer, walks in.
The woman had driven from Elizabeth to West New York just to get a steak sandwich. To him, that was crazy especially in a snow storm, but it was also amazing to see how much love his customers have for the steak sandwiches.
“We made [the] sandwich for her and I let my employees go home. I sat with her while she ate and we talked for a bit,” he said.
“That’s how loyal our customers are. And crazy because, I don’t think I would do that,” he laughed.
Although the journey of running Dos Amigos hasn’t been an easy one for Iwaniszyn and his team, the loyal customers that continue to return have been a pulling force for him and the restaurant.
He continues to push forward and waits to see what the future holds.
“I enjoy being there. I enjoy prepping for the day. I enjoy my employees, I enjoy the customers. Although I find it a challenge, steering the ship during difficult times, like the pandemic or the economic crash of ‘08, to make it through and to survive, to me [that] is an accomplishment, especially [because] of all the businesses on Bergenline that you [have] seen close. I think we did well. So I’m proud of that.”
