Renovated Johnny G’s on Main to reopen after double homicide

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This article was published 03/06/2019 (2335 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Johnny G’s restaurant and bar on the 100 block of Main Street — which has been the site of three fatal shootings since 2013 — will reopen in the coming weeks.

Johnny Giannakis, the owner of the late-night eatery, said he’s spent roughly $100,000 on renovations since two men fatally shot one another during business hours in February. The restaurant has been closed since then.

“We decided to keep it, and we’re getting ready to reopen now. Hopefully, we’ll be open by next weekend. We’re pretty much done, it’s just the finishing touches now, the training, the staff, that kind of stuff,” Giannakis told the Free Press last Thursday.

“We gutted it out, all of it. We renovated it completely. It’s a completely new look and we won’t be open late nights anymore, so hopefully it’s a little safer.”

Johnny G’s, which also has a location in the Exchange District, was traditionally one of the few late-night spots at which to grab grub in downtown Winnipeg. Both locations used to remain open until 4 a.m.

However, since the latest shooting, Giannakis made the decision to close the Exchange District location at 1 a.m. When the Main Street spot reopens, it will also close at 1 a.m.

“It’s had a financial impact, sure, but safety is more important than the financial part of it,” Giannakis said.

The most recent homicides at the Main Street business came six years after another shooting death there. In February 2013, William Moar, a 24-year-old with gang ties, was killed around 2 a.m.

Police said the most recent homicide victims — Anthony Brian Cromastey, 30, and Rodney Albert Kirton, 25 — also had gang connections. The two fatally shot one another simultaneously, police said.

Police said aside from its late-night hours, Johnny G’s wasn’t doing anything to attract shady characters or violence. Still, Giannakis said he’s concerned people might not come back to the restaurant due to its history of bloodshed.

Although he contemplated rebranding the business, Giannakis said he decided that would be disingenuous.

“We thought about changing the name, but people would still come in and they would see us. We’re not trying to fool anyone. We’re the same people doing the same thing, so that’s why we decided to keep the name. People know us,” Giannakis said.

“The pitch is: hopefully the past is the past. We’ve been around in this community for a very long time now. We’re hoping people will come back. The place looks completely new, fully renovated — and all you can do is hope.”

In other restaurant news, there’s activity in Osborne Village on the 100 block of Osborne Street.

Pho Hoang, a Vietnamese restaurant with successful locations on the 200 block of Portage Avenue and the 700 block of Sargent Avenue, plans to open its third location this summer.

An employee told the Free Press the new location should be open for business this month or in July.

There’s also a sign at the former Pete’s Place location — which has served as the short-term home for a revolving door of restaurants in recent years — indicating work is being done and perhaps a new eatery is on the way.

However, the Free Press’ efforts to contact the building owner were unsuccessful.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe