Competition in the restaurant business is tough. Yet after 20 years of owning a restaurant in Calumet City, Joe Daniele was so sure of his customer base that when he moved Pepino's to Schererville, that he didn't think it necessary to build on a main drag.

"I do a lot of running and kept seeing this property. It's right around the corner from me," he said. "Business was phenomenal in Calumet City, but it was time for a change. And I knew so many of my Calumet City customers had moved to Northwest Indiana that I figured we would do well here."

Daniele comes from an entrepreneurial family. His mother owned Anne's Linens in Whiting for 20 years and his sister is the longtime owner of the Whiting dress shop Debbie's.

Daniele was just a boy when he would help his grandmother make sausage, and he always loved the restaurant business. He opened Pepino's a year after he graduated from Northern Illinois University.

"When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to open a restaurant. But my mom was big on education, so I went to college and got a degree in management," he said. "But food is always something I loved. I was a wrestler in high school and couldn't eat, but I could cook. I always worked in restaurants growing up."

Pepino's menu includes sandwiches, pizza, salads and Italian entrees. The restaurant also has a large catering business.

"We make our own sausage, beef (and) pizza -- nothing here is pre-made," Daniele said. "You make it in the restaurant business by having really great food."

The restaurant has been established in the new location for a few months.

"I had a soft opening here, but business was so good, it was hard to keep up," he said. "Now that we've got some experience, its easier for us to keep up with the orders. I'm still working 75 to 80 hours a week, but this move has been a really good thing for me."

Pepino's Restaurant and Deli

Location: 2410 Ontario, Schererville

Phone: (219)365-9680

Owner: Joe Daniele

When opened: November 1

Number of employees: 20

Type of business: Restaurant and caterer

Web site: www.pepinosmenu.com