John G's Sold

Don't worry folks--all of you who love John G's, a restaurant with the best breakfast in the country--will have the same menu, just new owners. However, the era of the Giragos family is over. I remember Wendy as a young child working for her father when the restaurant was at the Lake worth Casino.

"The Giragos family owned and operated the restaurant for 46 years, first in the Lake Worth Beach Casino building, then, for the past eight years, at Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar. They sold the business on Friday, Oct. 4."

Read about the sale and the new owners.

My Luncheon Companions

Yesterday at John G's

These were the most loving and well behaved dogs I have ever seen. The owner would tell them to sit; they would sit. Lay down--no problem. Not sure what breed they are...Labradoodles?

Lunch at John G's -The Greatest

Katie invited me to lunch at John G's, my favorite restaurant. Food was great. The portions are great. The service was great. The company was spectacular! The prices are the same--great!

John G's - Manalapan

Always the perfect place for breakfast or lunch.

Breakfast at John G's

Thanks, Cesar!

The best breakfast anywhere!

My First Cousins

Breakfast at John G's this morning.

John G's Manalapan

After a 25 minute wait, had a fabulous lunch today at John G's...a lunch "to die for," as someone said. Wendy Giragos told us that this is the best year they have had in the 40 years they have been in business.

John G's

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John G's, formerly located at the Lake Worth Casino and now at Plaza del Mar in Manalapan, had a record crowd yesterday in celebration of their 40 years of serving and being a part of our community. Their dad, John Giragos would have been proud.

The Big One - John G's 40th Anniversary

John G's celebration--

Date: September 21st from 7am-3pm.

The Big One:

• One egg, one slice of bacon, one slice of toast, one cup of coffee, ONE DOLLAR

• Detroit sliders for forty cents (40 years) each during lunch, 11am-3pm

All money made from the above will be donated to Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation. John G's will also match it dollar for dollar in memory of their Dad, John G(iragos).

The "Big One" Celebration at John G's

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No matter how wonderful the restaurants are at our new casino, we all miss John G's, a restaurant that was a fixture at the Lake Worth beach for nearly 4 decades. Mark your calendar for their September 21st celebration at their location at the Plaza Del Mar, Manalapan.

John G's Newsletter August 2013
Hello Friends,

We've set the date for our celebration! September 21st from 7am-3pm.

We have a full day of fun planned. Please come by, check out the deals we've got and relive old memories. We've got 40 years of great memories and can't wait to hear yours. The Big One In the early days, John had an idea called "the Big One." It consisted of: one egg, one slice of bacon, one slice of toast, one cup of coffee, ONE DOLLAR, hence the Big One! We are bringing it back for our 40th on Sept. 21st from 7am-11am. We are also offering our world famous Detroit sliders for forty cents (40 years) each during lunch, 11am-3pm

The money we make from the sales of The Big One and Detroit sliders will be donated to Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation. Because we feel so strongly about the care they provide we will match the amount and donate in memory of John G(iragos).

Palm Beach County Restaurant Ratings

John G's still rated TOPS. Mulligan's on Lake Worth beach rated 53 out of 83.

Read more...

John G's Manalapan

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Roses are still on every table, a tradition of their father, John.

Wendy an owner and Helen a patron

In all the 38 years John G's has been around, they have never once disappointed--the food and service as well as the ambiance is unequaled. The servers treat everyone like family and the portions are generous.

Helen and I had lunch there yesterday after the dog judging. The place was mobbed. One couple sitting in a booth next to ours said, "We love this new location and we don't have to pay for parking." John G's kept all the same prices too.

They will be open on Memorial Day for breakfast. Try it out. You will love it and be among the hundreds of thousands who have enjoyed it over the years.

Lunch at John G's

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Today is Helen's birthday so the three of us celebrated.

John G's is getting 1,500 customers a day and they close at 3pm at the Plaza del Mar, the exact same time they always closed. They have the same menu that they had when they were at the Lake Worth Casino for 37 years. They have the same prices. They are doing so well down in Manalapan and they feel very lucky. Of course, no customer has to pay for parking.

So, this argument that we have to keep the beach opened until 1am because a restaurant argues that they need early morning closing in order to make money, is a crock. If you have a good product...you will always get the business.

John G's Grand Opening in Manalapan

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John G's had a packed house at its grand opening yesterday. I was told that the Press were there at 5am. Everyone with whom I spoke were thrilled to be dining there and that they were finally opened. One gentleman next to me couldn't get over the portion on his plate and he ate voraciously giving the excuse that he was a "big man." When he was through eating, he nudged me to say, "Look, I cleaned my plate."

Mrs. Giragos, Tess, went to every table to say hello and welcome everyone. When speaking to her she said, "John would have been proud." He had opened the original restaurant at the Lake Worth beach in 1972 and it became a landmark for quality and a sense of family. We all grew up with his kids who now have kids of their own and who have carried on John's tradition of good food, good service and never a doubt in your mind that you would be coming back soon.

The new John G's has a strong feel of the old sprinkled with a lot of "new." Many of the tables were taken from the beach casino and the huge paper menus near the kitchen are still there. The menus and the prices are exactly the same. People still came in their flip-flops; it's still an all cash business and no one minded; it was like finding an old fast friend.

There is one section devoted to John, the son of immigrants who came through Ellis Island and who passed away in January 2010. John lives on through his wife and children who are carrying on his name. It's the same restaurant serviced by people who love what they are doing and love their Dad. The only difference is the location just a short drive down A1A.

We will miss John G's at the Lake Worth beach.

John G's Soon to Open

John G's says:
Our new relocated Manalapan location on Plaza Del Mar, 264 So. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, FL. will open this August, so stay tuned!

Casino Anchor

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Just talked to a citizen yesterday who asked me if I had ever been to Johnny Longboats. I said, "no," I hadn't, but wanted to check them out. His report was not very good. He wondered about the rush to approve this tenant and why we had no choices, something we all have wondered about. Both the broker and the City believe they have performed for us.

We also got the impression on August 4 when this decision was made to accept the LOI from Johnny Longboats, that no one from Staff or the Commission had been there to get an understanding of what they were bringing into our city for 10 to 20 years minus one day. You have to wonder how anyone can make a decision committing the City of Lake Worth without even having dined there. You don't buy a house without inspecting the property. How is this different?

When you think of John G's and why it was so successful, it was all about the quality of food, great service and a restaurant that treated everyone like family. We watched those kids grow up with their Dad, John, to carry on the tradition of all the things that make a business withstand time. We feel that way about all of our merchants that have been at our Casino.

Understanding management's need to have an anchor committed to the space, Anderson & Carr must be told to keep looking and allow the broker, Mr. Snitkin, to seek a national chain(s) at this point. We need a back-up should this fall through. Afterall, it is only a Letter of Intent. A letter of intent or LOI, according to Wikipedia, is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalized. LOI's resemble written contracts, but are usually not binding on the parties in their entirety. When checking on the LOI, it was not a part of the back-up on-line so I don't know what aspects of it are binding, if any.

The economy is tanking. This could not be a worse time for anyone to think about opening a business. But the positive here is by the time the casino is finished, we should be out of this new recession that looms on the horizon.

John G's Manalapan

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Went for a drive down A1A earlier last week, hoping to have lunch at John G's in the Plaza del Mar. It was still under construction and Wendy and her brothers let us in. They are all involved with the build-out which they admit is much more than they anticipated. When she said that, I knew then that we would probably never see them back at the Lake Worth beach. It was a sad reality. They will have one section devoted to their late father, John, who started the restaurant at the Lake Worth beach nearly 40 years ago. So many things are being built-out in his memory.

The space is enormous. There is one side that will be the take-out area as they had at the beach but much larger. People will also be able to wait for their orders on a patio that will have umbrellaed tables. They installed porcelain floors and the benches are being made exactly as their Dad had made them decades ago. The same hanging lamps will be used. Wendy described the restaurant decor as a flair of the old and some of the new. Everyone will see some of the things they have seen over the past 4 decades in Lake Worth. They are making it as homey and as inviting as possible.

John G's Manalapan will open for business (they hope) by mid August 2011.

Casino Demolition

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It was emotional watching the demolition of our casino building, a place that I first visited as a kid in the 50's--a place that still had the tunnel leading from close to what later became John G's--the days of the old Clock across from it and the wonderful long-time merchants, many of whom became friends and like family.

In one month the entire building will be razed other than some pillars here and there, etc. In 1.5 years we are to have an outstanding structure that will look like our 1922 building that gave the city so much pride and literally helped develop Lake Worth, attracting people from all over.

Just another thing that this Commission and City Manager has accomplished, something that has been discussed for 30 years according to Retha Lowe. Lisa Maxwell can now take that off her list of complaints. We are on our way as well to a breathtaking building and the financing is on track.
Once built, this building will attract world tourism to Lake Worth.

Lake Worth Beach Merchants - An Era Gone

It really was an eye-watering moment yesterday as tenants at our beach, many of whom are long time friends, are moving out of the Casino. Some have been with us for over 35 years. They all have to be out by May 31. Some are gone already and a feeling of deep sadness came across me--a happy era now gone. It conjured up old memories when thinking about John G's, my grandfather's and Mother's favorite restaurant. They went there every week throughout their lives. I was told by a waitress that John G's will not be back--too expensive to move.


One of the tenants said that if the city does not start this project on time, he fears that it never will because of the volatile politics in this city. I couldn't agree more. Politicians have made so many dastardly decisions. We still have one fighting the Casino, a project that will put this city on the map and give it a vitality it has not experienced since 1922. And just think--it is a Casino that will be in total control by the people. This is our city, not the County's and certainly not a private corporation's. We should keep control of our city assets and not give any of them away.

Many of our tenants say that they will be back and are keeping their fingers crossed to the possibility of returning to the Lake Worth beach in a city that became a part of their DNA.

John G's Move announced

John G's moving to Manalapan.