John's Movement

For cafe, it's not "goodbye" but "until we meet again"

Comments (0) By Mark Stuertz Thursday, Aug 4 2005

By the time New Year's Eve 2005 rolls through Lower Greenville Avenue, the institution known as John's Café will be gone. After 33 years. Why does this matter? It's the food. John's packs them in--from lawyers and local musicians to the bed-headed and hungover braving the morning sun to drink sludge, poke at a stack of pancakes and lift their noses to catch the unholy scent of frying bacon. This is what the notice says: "The landlord of this historic building [Willingham Property Co.] has decided not to renew leases at this location after 70 years of business on the avenue. Their plan is to demolish the building and rebuild another in its place." Pretty strong stuff. Opened in 1972 by John Spyropoulos, John's has remained a family venture for the whole stretch with moms, dads, brothers, sisters and daughters pitching in.

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John's Cafe

1733 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206

Category: Restaurant > American

Region: East Dallas & Lakewood

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So what?

Well, it's a landmark that refuses to die, so it probably won't. "We're not ready to retire," says Mary Spyropoulos, wife of John. "We want to stay in the neighborhood. Too many memories." So starts the drama: the hunt for a new John's.

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