Dateline: February 20, 2003

Beloved Clarendon restaurant to close

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

You’ve heard the rumors… and they are true. JAMZ will close its doors on February 28, ending what has become a Clarendon tradition.

Jeff Howard, who with his wife Debbie started the pizza and sub sandwich restaurant in 1990, says the decision to close the business was not easy. But ultimately the offer of a new job was too good to refuse.

“It was really tough,” he said, “and it took a lot of thought. Everybody has been real good to us here.”

Howard will go to work for Graham Enterprises, which is opening a 40,000 sq. ft. complex of nightclubs in Amarillo’s Western Plaza.

“I worked for them before Debbie and I moved back here,” Howard said. “They kept in touch and made me a good offer.”

The Howards will continue to reside in Clarendon and hope to become more involved in the activities of their two children, Jeremy and Kaitlyn.

“The kids love it here, and I’ve missed a lot of their activities,” Howard said, referring to the 15 hours or more a day that he has put in over the last 13 years.

Howard realizes the impact on the town will be significant. Many people go to JAMZ several days a week for a slice of pizza, a delicious sandwich, rotisserie chicken, or a generous serving of Debbie’s homemade pie.

“People are coming in crying and very upset,” Howard said. “We came in with the attitude to start a tradition, and we always tried to put out a good product. We tried to keep the place clean and keep the food fresh. We also tried to do our part in the community. We’ve given many kids their first jobs and tried to teach them what it’s like to have a job.”

The Howards are grateful for the customers they have served.

“We appreciate the kindness people have shown us and the patience they had with us in the beginning,” Howard said. “We had never been in the food business before, and we had to learn the hard way.

“We’re going to miss seeing the people and the friends we’ve made.”

The Howards have no plans to sell the three-story 1927 Latson Building that now houses JAMZ. Instead, he says he will remodel the building just in case he decides to re-open it in the future.

Without a doubt, Clarendon residents will keep their fingers crossed in hopes that someday JAMZ might return.