- December 4, 2025
-
-
Loading
Loading
Lakewood Ranch’s Justin Boudreau was inspired at 4 years old to pursue the culinary arts when his mother, who was a waitress, would bring him to work.
He grew up in restaurants, and eventually began working in them, going from a dishwasher to a chef. Now he is the owner of the new restaurant, Peppercorns Steak and Seafood on State Road 70 in East County.
“I get a certain enjoyment when somebody eats something I created and they think it’s absolutely amazing,” Boudreau said.
Boudreau said he had been driving by the site of his new restaurant, which was previously an Applebees, waiting for the opportunity to make that spot his own. It was important to him to sell good food at an affordable price. The food and drinks on the menu range from $3.49 to $38.
“There's a little more money in this area, so (competitors) try to rake in as much as they can,” Boudreau said. “I was like ‘Where is everyone else (who can't afford the high prices) supposed to go?’”
Jeremy Wehr works as the general manager at Peppercorns. Wehr has been part of eight restaurant openings. Prior to taking his current job, he worked at The Café on St. Armands.
“Just listening to him (Boudreau) talk and hearing his passion for this concept was enough to drive me to step away from that group,” Wehr said. “ I came here and buried myself in this because I believe in him so much.”
Wehr said there was a big buzz about the restaurant even before they opened. He estimated 20 to 30 people a day entered looking for menus while they were doing construction.
Both Boudreau and Wehr described their 16-hour opening day, July 28, as chaotic.
Wehr estimated 200-300 customers per day have eaten at the restaurant.
Wehr said that with new restaurants, it takes time to outgrow the “growing pains” and figure out the best and most efficient way of operating. He said the team continues to rally together.
“Every day we get better and we joke around saying that should be our slogan,” Wehr said. “Peppercorns, every day we get a step better.”
Wehr said there have already been days where Boudreau has come to the restaurant to prepare for the day at 3 a.m. and didn’t leave until midnight. Wehr said he has a feeling Boudreau will be at the restaurant seven days a week.
“I'll get a little bit more work-life balance,” Boudreau said. “I know I'm asking so much of my people, I can't expect them to do everything.”
Boudreau said it is a leader's job to make sure all of their people have the tools that they need to be successful and to motivate them to do their best. He sees the whole person, not just an employee.
“From a business perspective, there's a little hierarchical pyramid they always have with leadership executives on top,” Boudreau said. “I've always felt like flipping that upside down.”
“Our staff have a real passion to be here, a real drive,” Wehr said.
Wehr said it is not common to see a general manager rolling silverware or scrubbing the floors, but there are days he has taken on those tasks in order to send workers home to spend time with their families.
The Peppercorns menu consists of appetizers, salads, burgers and sandwiches, desserts, steaks, fresh fish and more.
Wehr said the steak tips, which are unlike any food in the area, get delivered from Massachusetts on special order weekly. He said that a lot of people tend to like rare or medium rare, but the steak tips aren’t designed to be eaten that way. He said medium is the ideal way for them to be cooked for the desired tenderness to come through.
“Our chicken tips are on the way, we’ve got 600 pounds of those coming within the next couple weeks,” Wehr said. "We definitely took pride in picking the right products for the feel we're going for — an old school, New England style restaurant.”
Along with the steak tips, another signature item on the menu is the Peppercorn dressing. Wehr said he and Boudreau worked together to perfect it. He described it as a creamy ranch with parmesan cheese and peppercorn with some other secret ingredients mixed in.
The menu items have already been altered and added since opening and will continue to do so based on customer feedback. Boudreau said they don’t offer a fried chicken sandwich on the menu but have made one or two a day.
“I don't want to just hear good things,” Wehr said. “I learn more from bad than I do from good.”
Wehr said that the coming weeks are crucial to getting the service and staff to where they want to be and urges customers to be patient while they figure everything out.
“I laugh, I joke, I smile, even if I'm having the worst day in the world,” Wehr said. “These guys will never know it, because it's my job to make this team to be the best they can.”
