New eatery prompted by cuisine, not safety

Penn has accused Billybob's of drawing crime to the area. The decision to open a Chinese restaurant in the former seating area of Billybob's had nothing to do with the University's ongoing safety concerns with the establishment, according to the restaurants' owners. Billybob's has faced criticism from Penn officials who said last year that the establishment -- open until 4 a.m. on weekdays and operating 24 hours a day on weekends -- attracts criminal activity to the area, such as curfew violations and urination in the streets. But according to Hideo Omori -- who owns Billybob's, the new Silk Road Chinese Restaurant and the adjacent Japanese eatery Genji with his partner De Wong -- the opening of a new restaurant in what had been Billybob's seating area "has nothing to do with criminal things." Instead, the restaurant is simply an attempt to "make the best Chinese food in University City," Omori said. Silk Road is scheduled to open in mid-February. Penn Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush said she does not think eliminating Billybob's seating area will diminish criminal activity in the area. Although Rush has yet to speak with Omori and Wong about the new restaurant, she hopes the owners will work with University Police to ensure safety in the area. Rush added that she is concerned about issues such as the type of alcohol the establishments sell, as well as their hours of business. Omori said he is willing to work with Penn because he wants the area "to be safe for everybody," but he said it is difficult for him to control criminal activity. "We are not police," Omori said. "We cannot control who comes [to Billybob's]." Five years ago, 95 percent of Billybob's customers were Penn students, Omori said. Today, this number has decreased to about 35 percent. Rush would not give specific crime figures for the area around 40th and Spruce streets, although she did say that crime -- especially robberies -- has decreased significantly from last year within the University Police patrol boundaries. Rush added that she looks forward to working with the owners in the future in order to reach what she called a "mutual goal": the "success of business in the area in conjunction with the fulfillment of a positive quality of life for the community." The building that houses Billybob's is owned by the Schoepe family, which also owns University Laundry and University Pinball. The Schoepes are currently involved in a legal battle in federal court with the University over those properties. Last April, the family sued Penn and the city of Philadelphia for illegally shutting down the 24-hour businesses. The University countersued, claiming the establishments attracted criminal activity. After the suit was filed, the businesses reopened under a court order, requiring them to close between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. each day. Ron Shaffer, the Schoepes' attorney, said last week that as far as he knows, the family was not involved in the decision to open the new restaurant. "It is not anything I am involved in other than the fact that I have heard about it," Shaffer said. And Omori said the decision to open the restaurant "has nothing to do with the Schoepes' pressure or [pressure from] Penn." The new restaurant will compete for business with Won Oriental Restaurant at 216 S. 40th Street, the Hong Kong Cafe on the 100 block of South 39th Street and Beijing at 3714 Spruce Street.