If you never had the opportunity to go to Johnny V's, you missed out, at least for the time being. Johnny V's was (kills me to have to use past tense) a diner near State Fair Park in West Allis. Its huge menu allowed for you to satisfy any craving, day or night. It was known for its specials such as the Robert E. Lee breakfast, the Dagwood burger, and of course the King of Johnny V's breakfast challenge that would have definitely given 97.3 The Game's food eating champion Dario Melendez some trouble. The challenge consisted of 10 eggs, 8 pancakes, hash browns, 3 pieces of bacon and sausage, a slice of ham and two slices of texas toast.You had one hour to finish the five pound breakfast challenge by yourself.
What a lot of people will remember about Johnny V's are all the nights that they probably don't remember. Johnny V's was very well known for being a 24 hour restaurant that was a hot spot after bar close up until 2015 when they changed their hours to no longer be open all night. I will admit I had my fair share of nights in that diner after having a few adult beverages and some friends of mine have photos of me passed out at Johnny V's that I wish I could delete forever. What made it special to me was the amazing staff that worked 3rd shift at Johnny V's, specifically Linda who was not only the best waitress ever but also became a friend who you were always glad to see.
The news of Johnny V's closing spread across all of social media yesterday after they posted a message on their social media platforms saying, "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart; Johnny V’s has made the difficult decision to close our doors effective today. For 28 years we have been a family restaurant staple in West Allis. With the effects of the Covid pandemic we have concluded with our landlord to end our lease, this was effective immediately. The Vassallo family is working on relocating to make your favorites available. We will provide you with any updates once we have some." While technically they are closed, the last line of the message makes it seem like they came to a disagreement with their landlord, which hasn't been entirely uncommon during the pandemic, and that they are looking to relocate. While it would be different if they do reopen at a new location, knowing there is still a chance gives me hope.