Johnson's Restaurant
The Johnson family owned and operated a restaurant in Bellefontaine for over 50 years
For more than five decades, the Johnson family owned and operated a Bellefontaine restaurant that became a local favorite thanks to their home-style cooking, warm hospitality, and distinctive personalities.
Alex N. Johnson immigrated from Greece to Ohio in 1911 and began working in the restaurant business as early as 1919. In 1925, he married Anna Kanaris, also a native of Greece, in Zanesville, Ohio. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved to Bellefontaine and opened the New York Restaurant at 211 S. Main St. They had three sons: twins Nick and James, and John. The business operated as the New York Restaurant until about 1942, when it was renamed Johnson’s Restaurant.
The whole family worked at the restaurant. Mrs. Johnson, the cook, was known to everyone as “Mama.” The family sometimes bickered among themselves in Greek, much to enjoyment of customers.
Nick and Jim both served in the U.S. Army in Italy during World War II. Upon their return, they continued working at the family restaurant. For Easter Sunday in 1950, Johnson’s Restaurant advertised “Good Food is Good Health” and offered the following dinners: “Virginia baked ham with pineapple sauce, spring fried chicken, and roast beef and dressing, all at $1.00 each.” A roast turkey and dressing dinner was $1.25. That same year, the family constructed a new restaurant building on the site.
Alex Johnson died in 1957, and the family continued operating the restaurant. Nick played the cymbals in the American Legion Satan’s Angels Drum & Bugle Corps and proudly displayed the corps’ many championship trophies in the restaurant.
In 1960, the Johnsons converted the restaurant to Johnson’s Delicatessen Party Shop, expanding their menu to include deli sandwiches, soups, pies, and ice cream. Sandwiches were also available to carry out. Around 1962, Jim moved to Urbana with his wife, Helen, and their children, Karen, Anna, and James, and became manager and co-owner of Champaign Bowling Lanes. Jim retained his partnership in the family business, while Nick and “Mama” Johnson handled its day-to-day operations.
1972 was a difficult year for the Johnson family. In April, a gas leak explosion destroyed the building next to Johnson’s Restaurant and damaged their own building. Nick was in the basement trying to stop flooding from nearby Possum Run Creek when the explosion occurred. He wasn’t seriously injured, but he suffered cuts from broken glass during his escape. Jim Johnson died that September.
Nick and “Mama” continued to own and operate the restaurant for several more years. After it closed around 1983, Nick continued filling the building with his collections, earning him a reputation among some as a bit of a “pack rat.”
Around 1985, Nick was briefly associated with the Checker Board Carry Out at 420 S. Main St. in Bellefontaine. Anna “Mama” Johnson died in 1988.
Nick Johnson will long be remembered as one of Bellefontaine’s colorful characters. Customers recall how he rubbed bills together as he counted back change to make sure they weren’t sticking together, then pressed coins into their palms. Other fond memories include his baby blue 1955 Cadillac with the license plate “NAJ”, and the great sandwiches he served, steak & cheese, Texas steak, and ham & cheese, alongside an ice-cold bottle of RC Cola. Older teenage boys would sit at the lunch counter smoking cigarettes, irritating Mama with their smoke. The angrier she became, the more it encouraged their ornery behavior.
Nick also loved taking photos around Bellefontaine, many of which were donated to the History Center. His photographs provide a valuable historical record of businesses once located in the city. He took particular care to document landmarks before, during, and after demolition, keeping detailed information on each one. A licensed pilot and member of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Auxiliary, Nick also enjoyed fishing in Canada and feeding the birds.
Nick Johnson died in July 2013. For more than fifty years, the Johnson family served the community great home-cooked food in a cozy diner, sometimes with a side of lively family entertainment, leaving customers with fond memories of Mama’s cooking and Nick’s colorful personality.
In 2015, Brewfontaine opened a craft brewery and restaurant at the former Johnson’s Restaurant location. Its “Mama Johnson” Bavarian ham sandwich was named in Mrs. Johnson’s honor.
John McPherson contributed to this article.
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