Owner Keeps Pach's Place Popular

Isun Maes hasn't taken a day off in 11 years and doesn't plan to any time soon.

In 2001, Maes purchased , an already well-known breakfast and lunch cafe that looks out to Bayshore from Bay to Bay Boulevard. Over the last 11 years, she has changed nothing, from the menu to the decor, maintaining and building on the success of the name.

"I have changed nothing, I just keep it clean," Maes says with a laugh. "Everything in this place is how it was when I bought it, but I think about changing it. Maybe some day I'll get a new counter top, but I won't change the shape."

Married to a U.S. serviceman she met in her native South Korea, Maes' first trip  to America was when the couple came to Tampa in 1973. They would later move to Germany, but Maes returned to the only American city she had ever known when she left her husband in 1977 and brought her four kids to Tampa.

She struggled to find a job but would eventually get on her feet by working at the Village Inn, eventually earning enough money to open a Chinese restaurant, a delicatessen in Town and Country and finally Pach's Place. Since buying Pach's, Maes has steadily worked at maintaining the cafe with the help of her daughter and manager, 34-year old Cathy Maes.

"My kids help me with the restaurant, and since they speak better English, I just come in and do a bit of everything," Maes said. "I like my job, I like this opportunity, and it's special because I get to share it with my kids. I will wash dishes, bus the tables, work the register, hostess, cook, whatever I need to do that day."

Maes has often worked 14-hour days at the restaurant, which opens its doors at 6 a.m. for breakfast. Plates are reasonably priced, with $4.25 enough to fetch the customer two eggs, bacon, home fries and a pancake. On the average day, there are customers at the door by 5:45 a.m., according to Maes. 

"I have people here reading the paper and drinking coffee 15 minutes before we open," Maes said. "Everyone likes a bargain. New people I've never seen before come every day, and people we see all the time come everyday. We are very blessed."

The price, the location and the quality of the food have led to a dedicated following that often has included names like former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, U.S. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and a number of Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I don't need to pay for advertising," Maes said. "We have famous people come and eat regularly. People like good food, and in a bad economy, they like good prices too."

For Maes, her passion for work and sense of appreciation for the opportunities life has given her are crucial to her happiness and, she believes, the key to her success.

"You have to like what you're doing or you're not going to succeed," Maes said. "If you don't enjoy it, you won't be good at it. We don't make a lot of money, but I like coming to work. People think I'm crazy coming to work seven days a week, but this is my therapy. I can't tell you how blessed we are."

Pach's Place is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, call 813-831-7122. You can also visit them on Facebook or visit their website.