Busboy to Owner in 12 Years

Busboy Makes It Big: Longtime Malibu hangout Geoffrey’s Malibu has just been bought by longtime Geoffrey’s employee Jeff Peterson. He started there in 1987 as a 20-year-old busboy who thought he’d be an actor or model (imagine that). Over the years he worked his way up to waiter, assistant manager and finally, four years ago, general manager. When original owner Harvey Baskin died two years back, Peterson began the process of acquiring the restaurant. Says Peterson: “It’s been my hectic thing I’ve been pursuing for a couple of years now.” Now that he has it, he’s planning a slow, step-by-step remodel. Peterson will keep the hearty California menu that replaced a healthy cuisine idea six years ago. (Peterson: “I have desserts that will add pounds on as you’re eating.”) The name will also stay the same; Peterson figures it’s close enough to his own to leave alone. (Geoffrey was the name of one of the original partners.) Geoffrey’s Malibu is at 27400 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu; call (310) 457-1519 for reservations.

Mini-Johnnie’s: The owners of the Johnnie’s New York Pizzerias have decided to begin opening two smaller versions of their pizza places (there are regular-sized Johnnie’s in Century City, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Sherman Oaks and Santa Monica). The first scaled-down version will be at 11870 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. There’ll be a scattering of tables and chairs in the space, but the focus is quick food to go. It will serve pizzas, a few pastas and a few salads, plus boxed lunches of sandwiches and cold salads, complete with napkins and utensils. These miniature Johnnie’s will also have full delivery capability and plan to cater to corporate accounts. Hours should run from 11:30 a.m. to sometime after midnight. To celebrate the opening of the West L.A. branch, Johnnie’s will give away a slice of pizza and a small soda to each customer on Aug. 20. The second mini-Johnnie’s will be moving in with Stan’s Corner Donut Shoppe at 10948 Weyburn Ave., Westwood Village, in September. The scheduled slice-of-pizza-and-soda-giveaway day there is Sept. 24.

To Chew On: The Pasadena restaurant Abiento is no longer serving regular meals. It will be available for private parties until Aug. 20, after which it will close for good. But the catering and event planning arm of the company is alive and well at 130 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, and you can still reach it by calling Abiento’s number: (626) 449-4151.

Pettera’s e-mail address is pettera@cwix.com.