NEW RESTAURANTS

aside, Surprise’s restaurants still rely on winter residents for about half of their clientele, owners say.

That is a concern for William and Joanne Lee, who opened Ann’s Asian Bistro & Bar in Bell Mar Plaza in April — just as the snowbirds were leaving Arizona for cooler climates.

Joanne Lee and her husband were watching over a sparsely populated dining room during a recent weekday lunch hour. Still, they are prepared to tough out the slow summer season with the help of some new regulars, they said.

“When we opened here, all of my friends thought I was crazy,” Joanne Lee said.

One diner who lived nearby was so pleased that he grabbed a stack of menus and handed them out to neighbors, she said.

Like many local restaurants, Ann’s Asian Bistro & Bar relies largely on word-of-mouth.

William Lee, a former neuroscientist who emigrated from Hong Kong in1997, said the pair had been looking for the right spot for more than a year. When A few of the new, independent restaurants in Surprise: » Ann’s Asian Bistro & Bar, 11340 W. Bell Road. Information: 623-977-3198 or annsbistro.com. » Saigon Kitchen, 14071 W. Bell Road. Information: 623-544-6400 or saigonkitchenaz.com. » Tom Yum Thai Restaurant, 13637 W. Bell Road. Information: 623-584-0449 or tomyumthaiaz.com. a pizzeria left a space in Bell Mar Plaza, the Lees moved in.

They live in Litchfield Park and did not want to commute far to their restaurant.

Tara Brooks, the owner of Tom Yum, said she also liked her new location in part because she and her family live in the West Valley.

“It just feels like this is my home,” she said. “I like our customers to be like friends.”