Junior's Grill Closes at Tech, Owner Hopes for Resurrection

Georgia Tech students, alumni and professors came out Thursday to bid farewell to Junior's Grill, a dining tradition  at the university since 1948.

The restaurant in the Bradley Building near Tech Tower was set to close at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. But Junior's ran out of food early and the doors were locked around 1 p.m. 

"I wanted to get one last tenders basket," said Midtown resident Kihun Shin, a 1999 graduate from Tech, who showed up around 1 p.m. "It's not to be."

David Reed, a 2002 graduate, also came to "take in the atmosphere one last time." Reed said he ate at the restaurant every Tuesday and Thursday when he was a student. 

"Tommy and the crew were like family to a lot of us here," Reed said. "Hopefully, the tradition can carry on somehow."

Perhaps it will.

As it turns out, Junior's Grill may not be gone for good. The university on Thursday said Junior's Grill owner Tommy Klemis was looking for a "third resurrection."

"We were all caught off guard by Tommy deciding to retire," said Matt Nagel, spokesman for Georgia Tech.  "At this point, I'm not sure what will happen."

On Thursday, the university released the following information on their website:

This isn’t the first time Junior’s Grill has had to shut its doors, and owner Tommy Klemis is hopeful that it won’t be the last.

“All I’m asking for is for someone to help me find a way to keep Junior’s going for another 37 years, so I can be around when we celebrate our 100-year anniversary,” Klemis said. “I would be a part of any initiative that gets us there.”

The campus favorite has a long history of being “resurrected” — as Klemis likes to say — which is why he is hoping for just one more miracle. The first resurrection came in the 1960s when Junior’s moved from the corner of Techwood Drive and North Avenue to a location across from Smith Dormitory.

Then, in the 1990s, Junior’s was demolished to make way for the 1996 Olympic Games.

“But lo and behold — thanks to the students and alumni — we were resurrected again,” Klemis said. “We were proclaimed a ‘Tech tradition’ and have been in our current location ever since.”  

About three weeks ago, Klemis came to the conclusion that he couldn’t afford to keep Junior’s open. Today was the “break-even” day in terms of the restaurant’s expenses and revenue, so his intention was to quietly close and make a formal announcement to the campus community.

“Now, my soft closing is history; I was really hoping this would be low-key,” Klemis said.

As the news spread, Junior’s was swamped with customers. Although he wanted to avoid the publicity that would come with a public closing, Klemis now thinks that the outpouring of support from Tech’s community may be for the best.

“There’s already talk among the Georgia Tech nation that there might be a way to resurrect Junior’s,” Klemis said.

After the doors to Junior’s close today at 2:30 p.m., Klemis said his first priority will be taking care of his employees and doing everything he can to help place them in new jobs.

“Then, maybe I’ll start a weekly card game with [former Junior’s icon] Anne, or I would love to be a greeter at Chick-Fil-A,” he said. “But even as the doors to Junior’s close, there’s always hope that it will come back. We’ll just have to wait and see.”