This, no I haven’t watched the show regularly for some time now, but when I did, apu is one of the side characters I really liked. They could’ve easily just had him in hi jinks episodes with homer or placed around his house/family and not in the store.
Furthermore, since when is owning your own business a stereotype? Like cmon, Indians cashing in on 7-11’s, Chinese cash in on laundry, Koreans with hair supply and corner stores, Vietnamese with nail salons, middle easterners got corner stores...why are we going to act like these immigrant groups don’t carve out niches?