Johnny’s Lunch celebrates 90th anniversary with sale, crowds
Johnny’s Lunch celebrates 90th anniversary with sale, crowds
Johnny's Lunch celebrated its 90th birthday on Tuesday with a special deal: a hot dog and drink for 93 cents. Despite heavy construction right outside the building at 966 Fairmount Ave, several hundred people took advantage of the offer. The line of patrons stretched across the parking lot and down several adjacent streets. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee
Johnny's Lunch celebrated its 90th birthday on Tuesday with a special deal: a hot dog and drink for 93 cents. Despite heavy construction right outside the building at 966 Fairmount Ave, several hundred people took advantage of the offer. The line of patrons stretched across the parking lot and down several adjacent streets. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee
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Road construction on Fairmount Avenue didn’t deter fans of Johnny's Lunch from joining the owners in celebrating the eatery's 90th birthday.
In 1936, Johnny and Minnie Colera opened a restaurant at 966 Fairmount Ave. to create a business that would support their growing and budding family.
“My parents owned the business for 51 years, and my late husband and I operated it for 49 years,” said Dianne Calamunci.
Calamunci said she and her husband began running the eatery in June 1975 and couldn’t have done it without her late husband, Augusto J. “Gust,” who passed away in 2025.
To celebrate the restaurant’s birthday, a special offering has drawn hundreds of locals to the eatery’s parking lot and nearby streets, despite extensive roadwork right in front of the building.
"I've been coming here for 50-plus years," said Robert (Bob) Swanson of Jamestown. "You can get a hot dog and a 20-ounce soft drink for 93 cents. You can't even get a pack of gum for 93 cents at the store."
Calamunci said that if her parents were alive today, they would be so proud and would want to speak with each customer as they came into the building.
"My mother and father would be so happy and proud," she said. "This special today is about giving back to the community. I'm blown away by how many people have come out today. ...I expected a large crowd, but nothing like this."
Some said the line to enter the restaurant stretched outside the building, and there were no parking spaces available. However, the wait was well worth it to celebrate the eatery.
“Getting into the parking lot took nearly five minutes due to construction,” said Elliot Conway of Lakewood. “This restaurant is a community staple; the wait is well worth it.”
The eatery’s longevity and drawing power have some visitors to the area "jonesing" for its food.
As previously reported in an Oct. 1 edition of The Post-Journal, Kristin Johnson of Jamestown, said, "Johnny’s Lunch is full of good food and has a classic, nostalgic vibe. When they visit, she said, the first thing her out-of-town friends and family want to do is get an order from Johnny’s."