After 35 years on the local restaurant scene, a Jefferson City institution is closing up shop to make way for its namesake's retirement plans.
John Pardalos opened Johnny's Pizza & Steakhouse at 2102 Missouri Blvd. on Oct. 29, 1981, and he'll close it himself on Jan. 18, 2017.
The restaurant was known to many locals for its homemade pizza, steaks, and Greek and Italian specialties.
"Jefferson City's been good to me and my family for many, many years," Pardalos said. "It's been a good run - had a good time and made a lot of friends, and that's what I'm going to treasure out of this: the friendships that I made."
Many of those friends have made a point to stop by in recent weeks, and he expects more will in the coming days.
"A lot of times it makes you cry. But that's how life goes," Pardalos said. "I remember when I opened this place. When I first started, I was 28 years old. Time went pretty fast."
Pardalos, now 64, is ready to take his life in another fulfilling direction - retirement.
"Now I can do things that I've never been able to do all these years. I'm going to do some traveling; I'm going back to Greece for a few months and just relaxing - play a lot of golf," he said. "I'm going to try to be unemployed for a year."
Evidently Pardalos knows himself well enough to have set the minimum requirement of relaxation.
"I might get bored; you never know," he laughed. "If I get bored with my retirement, I might do something else."
In addition to the many friends who have come through the doors of Johnny's Pizza & Steakhouse, Pardalos will miss a few other things - including but not limited to the food.
"My favorite thing is pizza. I've been eating pizza ever since I came to this country 50 years ago," he said. "And I like pizza better than a steak."
Perhaps the most important aspect of the family business won't be going anywhere - the Pardalos family itself.
His wife, Nopi Pardalos, and children, George and Sophia Pardalos, have been as much a part of the restaurant as its namesake.
"My wife and two kids have been with me all the way," Pardalos said. "They've been helping ever since they were little kids. Like my son says, this is my home. Ever since he was a kid he's been here. We spend more time here than we do at home."
Johnny's Pizza & Steakhouse will remain open through Wednesday.
Pardalos said he plans to lease the property to a franchise restaurant, which will demolish the existing building and replace it with a new one.
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