After a night of partying, unexplainable cravings often happen. From sweet and salty to greasy, they’re random, and when they hit, they hit hard. Oftentimes it’s food you probably wouldn’t eat sober. That’s where Pepe’s Bar-B-Q comes in.
Pepe’s, for those of you unaware, is a local food establishment famous for its greasy $2.50 meatball sub sandwiches and $1.50 pizzas. The food is made to order by a master chef, Steven Shaffer, aka Pepe, who bares a striking resemblance to Nintendo’s famous video game character, Mario. Mention Pepe’s to virtually any Binghamton University student and they’ll know what you’re talking about. Whether they’ve ever been to the eatery or just heard stories, Pepe’s is well known, which is why Shaffer is a local celebrity.
Originally the name of a hot dog cart, Shaffer is known around town as Pepe. He has been filling the empty stomachs of Binghamton students for eight years and his restaurant has changed locations in the Downtown area four times.
It first opened on Main Street.
‘It was the size of a broom closet,’ he said. ‘After four or five people came in, everyone had to stand outside.’
He then moved to Clinton Street, then across from Cafe Oasis, and finally to his current and largest location on Washington Street. He said that each location got better and better.
Pepe’s starts to get busy around 12:30 a.m., but a mad rush of people arrive around 3 a.m. when the bars close, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
‘Only at Pepe’s can you have the delicious combination of a meatball sub and nacho cheese. And at 3 a.m., there is nothing better than that,’ says recent Binghamton University graduate Jeremy Levine.
Pepe’s has a vast customer base, not just drunk students. Yet to Pepe, a customer is a customer. Student, local citizen or cop, they are all the same.
‘That’s one of the reasons I’m so successful here,’ he said. ‘I don’t care if you’re a student. I’m nice to everybody.’
He also explained that most businesses and people in Binghamton seem to dislike the college students.
‘Once you enter that door, you’re not a student. You’re a customer.’
Posted on the walls are photographs of Pepe’s devoted customers. He takes these pictures himself. Many of these photos depict the smiling faces of the University’s athletes. The members of the women’s volleyball team and the men’s soccer, basketball and rugby teams are all regular customers.
‘Athletes are the best customers,’ he said. ‘They eat the most.’
Sometimes people do more than just eat at Pepe’s. Many crazy things have happened, Pepe said, including a number of fights. He recalled one fight, between a sports team and a frat, in which 50 people were involved.
‘Bodies were flying,’ he said.
Pepe even brings his services to the college crowd. He has sold his subs at a number of house and fraternity parties over the years.
‘It’s great for public relations,’ he said.
He said that usually students don’t actually eat at the parties.
‘When the party is over, they follow me back.’
However, Pepe is such a hard-working guy that on some occasions he works at a party, having only slept three or four hours the night before. ‘So I can’t drink,’ he explained. ‘When I can party with [the students], it’s more fun.’