Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Johnson.
Ana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My Great-Grandfather, an immigrant from Cyprus, had a dream of opening a restaurant and did so in 1945… John’s Bar & Grille. As a young girl growing up in the restaurant business, I always looked up to my dad and grandfather, the second- and third-generation restaurant owners. After graduating from Kent State and Akron University in Fashion Merchandising and Nursing, I knew there was nothing I’d rather do than work alongside my dad and carry on the Varavvas tradition as a fourth generation. After 76 years in our original location on Cleveland Avenue and challenges along the way, we were given a great opportunity to move to a new location in Oakwood Square in 2021. My Dad and I, along with my husband Nick and our amazing staff, are here to continue John’s tradition of being the neighborhood gathering place.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The restaurant business has never been the easiest business to be in! Most of the challenges come from the amount of competition in our area, the ever-changing supply chain, the major price fluctuations in food and beverage, and, most of all, staffing difficulties. In the midst of all of these challenges, we have found ourselves to be blessed with a talented, loyal and hard-working staff and faithful customers who have continued to support John’s for 79 years.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
John’s is a fourth-generation restaurant, which is pretty rare! We specialize in steaks, chops, seafood, and handcrafted burgers, as well as specialty cocktails and the coldest beer in town. We are known for our Steak on a Stick, our Scrod, our fall-off-the-bone BBQ Ribs, the John’s Burger, my dad’s homemade soups and our desserts. John’s has always been a stark county tradition… generations have continued to bring their families to John’s for dinner, it’s been a place to meet friends for a drink, or the place for date night. We are proud to be “the neighborhood gathering place since 1945”.
How do you define success?
Success to me is using the gifts and resources we have been blessed with to be able to serve our customers, staff, and community in the best way we can.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.johnsgrille.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/johnsbarandgrille
- Facebook: facebook.com/johnsgrille
Image Credits
Eat Local Ohio
