Georgia Institute of Technology tries to resuscitate 63-year-old Midtown restaurant
Junior’s Grill in Midtown was reportedly slated to close Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
The restaurant in the Bradley Building near Tech Tower ran out of food early, Amy Wenk with Midtown Patch reported Thursday, and the doors were locked around 1 p.m.
But the university hasn’t given up on what students and alumni are calling a tradition.
Yeah. A tradition for closing and reopening.
In the 1960s, Junior’s was relocated and then demolished in the 1990s to make way for the 1996 Olympic games, according to information release by Tech.
The university released the following information on their website Thursday:
This isn’t the first time Junior’s Grill has had to shut its doors, and owner Tommy Klemis is hopeful that it won’t be the last.
“All I’m asking for is for someone to help me find a way to keep Junior’s going for another 37 years, so I can be around when we celebrate our 100-year anniversary,” Klemis said. “I would be a part of any initiative that gets us there.”
The campus favorite has a long history of being “resurrected” — as Klemis likes to say — which is why he is hoping for just one more miracle. The first resurrection came in the 1960s when Junior’s moved from the corner of Techwood Drive and North Avenue to a location across from Smith Dormitory.
Then, in the 1990s, Junior’s was demolished to make way for the 1996 Olympic Games.
“But lo and behold — thanks to the students and alumni — we were resurrected again,” Klemis said. “We were proclaimed a ‘Tech tradition’ and have been in our current location ever since.”
About three weeks ago, Klemis came to the conclusion that he couldn’t afford to keep Junior’s open. Today was the “break-even” day in terms of the restaurant’s expenses and revenue, so his intention was to quietly close and make a formal announcement to the campus community.
“Now, my soft closing is history; I was really hoping this would be low-key,” Klemis said.
As the news spread, Junior’s was swamped with customers. Although he wanted to avoid the publicity that would come with a public closing, Klemis now thinks that the outpouring of support from Tech’s community may be for the best.
“There’s already talk among the Georgia Tech nation that there might be a way to resurrect Junior’s,” Klemis said.
After the doors to Junior’s close today at 2:30 p.m., Klemis said his first priority will be taking care of his employees and doing everything he can to help place them in new jobs.
“Then, maybe I’ll start a weekly card game with [former Junior’s icon] Anne, or I would love to be a greeter at Chick-Fil-A,” he said. “But even as the doors to Junior’s close, there’s always hope that it will come back. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Is the third time a charm for Junior’s or has destiny finally set it?
8 Responses
The University should step up. This is a no brainer. It can be school-owned.
It’s in a bad location. There is not nearly enough student foot traffic and they need to actually finish cooking the food before they give it to you. I went there every week last semester and just about every time my burger would be somewhat raw and/or the buns would be soggy. I never really liked their chicken fingers either. They can make some awesome grilled cheese though.
I don’t understand why students would choose campus dining over Junior’s. Their food is consistently very good, often great. I went there countless times when I was a student (SO MUCH BETTER than the generic campus dining options) and still visit about once a month since I work nearby. Their burgers have always been great. Their gyros are awesome. Good breakfasts too. Prices can’t be beat. And Tommy Klemis is the nicest human being on the planet. Seriously, Will Rogers is a grouchy chump compared to him.
Really hope it comes back again.
Save Junior’s!
I agree bad location. The campus has changed a lot and not many people take classes on the hill anymore. I ate there a lot but mostly b/c I was up there for classes. In retrospect, I may have made other dining choices if I had to haul it across campus.
The location is fine – and it will be perfect once the CULC building opens. Some rich alum needs to step up.
I do not think that the CULC opening in the fall would really change the amount of people walking by. If anything it will be worse. Right now because skiles walkway to the library is closed, everyone has to go around the skiles building which takes them much closer to Junior’s. Almost everyone is going to the taco bell, chickfila, and subway that opened last year in the student center or to tech square.
Close tech next. Too many virgins in one place is bad for business.
Nerds!
There’s nothing wrong with the location of Juniors, and given the crowds, I’m kinda surprised that it is going under. However… the food is absolutely terrible. It’s unhealthy, the menu is extremely limited, they rarely get your order right – unless its a cheeseburger basket, and it’s surprisingly expensive. The reality is that people don’t go there because the food tastes like it was made in 1940.
My office is right next door, and I can count on one hand the times I’ve been there. I’ll routinely walk an extra 15 minutes to eat ANYTHING else. Put in a Chipotle, or something half-way healthy and that tastes ok and people will flock.