Jalili family sells Bijan’s to managers

The sale closed Monday for an undisclosed price, Mike Jalili told Springfield Business Journal. Barry Kackley and Jeremy Reed, who have “been with Mike since Day 1,” purchased the downtown Springfield staple, Reed said. Both have been Bijan’s managers but have spent time at other Jalili hot spots, as well.

“They’ve both been at the restaurant and both have been managers and operators for the restaurant forever,” Jalili said. “It’s like giving it to your kids. They’re like family.”

Mike, Billy and Sara Jalili are retaining the building and their other restaurants – Flame, Touch, Boogie and Midnight Rodeo – and are opening a champagne lounge, called Bubbles, behind Boogie in a week, Jalili said.

Reed said he and Kackley have no plans to make sweeping changes at Bijan’s, largely because regular customers have come to expect a certain atmosphere and menu items.

“Mike’s done a really good job with this place, and I’d hate to go and change it,” Reed said. “With this place being here for so long, you can make your changes, but if we got rid of some of this stuff, we’d make a lot of people upset.”

The Jalilis opened Bijan’s in 1996. It employs 21, according to Reed.