ORLANDO, Fla. — Johnson's Diner (see map) has been a mainstay in downtown Orlando for nearly 30 years, but Monday they closed their doors for good because of financial trouble, despite getting money from the city to stay afloat.
Johnson's Diner has been on Church Street for four years, but it has been a staple in downtown Orlando since 1983. Grandma Lillie Johnson opened the restaurant because she loved to cook, but in recent years her grandson, Clarence Johnson, took over the family business that's now closed for good.
"The easy answer is we didn't sell enough dinners. But a deeper look at is there were some things we didn't do," Johnson said.
The financial trouble started in 2008 when the Johnson's owed the state $84,000 in unpaid sales tax. Johnson said, in the last year, construction at the new Amway Center drove the business deeper into debt. The city handed over thousands of dollars to help.
"Did you mismanage the money from the city?" WFTV reporter Daralene Jones asked Johnson.
"To say we mismanaged the city's money would be an outright lie. But to say we mismanaged the money we made, of course that's a possibility," he replied.
This time, Johnson's had no choice but to lock the doors for good. They are ten months behind in rent and owe the owners of the building about $57,000.
"We've let our family down from the standpoint as Johnson's Diner has ended," he said.
But Johnson said the family's legacy isn't tied to the building. The diner was a common meeting ground for celebrities, politicians, and the poor. They often gave out free food to the homeless and, although it probably helped run them out of business, they never raised their prices.
It is not known whether the restaurant will have to reimburse the city for the money it received. The restaurant had 12 employees, but they are working to help them find new jobs.
WFTV
