George Jonopulos was colorful character
For 62 years, the aroma of hamburgers being fried drifted down the hill from Eighth Street. Whether he was taking orders, cooking food, or operating the cash register, George Jonopulos made sure that his customers would keep coming back to George’s Place.
My own memories of George’s Famous Hamburgers go back to my childhood, during a shopping trip to downtown. My father, a captain at #1 Fire Hall in the Golden Gateway, wanted to take me to George’s for a burger and fries. He explained that while firemen do most of their own cooking at the fire station, they sometimes send a member of the crew for a take-out order. George’s Place was a favorite of all of the firefighters. I recall that the George’s hamburger had a very unique, juicy flavor; a quality not always found at other restaurants. Being a music fan since early childhood, I was able to play tunes on the jukebox at George’s by dropping a nickel into the tabletop control unit.
I was recently reminded of George’s while I was a guest on a local talk radio show. I had mentioned some of the local restaurants of the past, several of which were started by immigrants to the United States. Mrs. Helen Gates, a daughter of George Jonopulos, called the station, and asked me to call her after the show for more information about her father.
According to Mrs. Gates, George Jonopulos was born in Tripoli, Greece in 1900. As a teen-ager, he came to Chattanooga to work for his uncle. However, his uncle soon left town, and George was left to fend for himself. As a way to earn money, George became a prize-fighter at the local YMCA, and boxed under the name, “George Johnson.”
In 1924, he opened a tiny restaurant on East Eighth Street. Customers sat on stools facing the wall, and George served them over their shoulders. Mr. Jonopulos later expanded his restaurant, and added choices to the menu including barbecue, grilled cheese and steak sandwiches, chili, and chicken livers. Bottles of Coke and beer were among the beverage choices.
However, it was his signature “deep-fried hamburgers” that kept most customers coming back. Mrs. Gates said, “There were wells in a wooden counter that held the oil. Early in the morning, the hamburgers would be partially-fried and then drained. They were then wrapped in wax paper and placed in the refrigerators. As customers arrived for lunch, the hamburgers were refried. Some people said that they were greasy, but they really weren’t. My father always used good quality meats.” There were two prices for hamburgers in the early days of George’s: five cents for a basic burger, and ten cents to have it topped with an onion.
It was common to see a cross-section of the citizenry at George’s. Bankers and local government leaders were frequent diners, along with those like George, who knew what it was like to be hungry and broke. He was known as a restaurant owner who frequently gave free meals to the homeless.
In 1933, George Jonopulos earned his American citizenship, which was something that he always cherished. He was very active in the Chattanooga community. He displayed his outgoing personality on the front line of the Shriners drum and bugle corps for many years.
A 1966 phone book advertisement for George’s listed “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ham and hot biscuits, hamburger steaks, hamburgers, short orders. Open 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., Monday through Saturday.” Mrs. Gates recalled that she would be awakened many nights by her father arriving home after closing the restaurant in the early morning hours. He would then arise just a few hours later to go to open the restaurant.
As a result of a new downtown hospital at Eighth Street and Georgia Avenue, George’s Hamburgers relocated in 1975 down the hill to Eighth and Cherry Streets. In 1986, long-time customers were saddened by the news that George Jonopulos would soon be frying his last hamburger. I asked my co-worker, Pat Brewer, what he remembered about George’s in its latter years. Pat recalled that he went to George’s about once a week for a hamburger. The vat of grease and the cooking of the hamburgers were quickly spotted as customers entered the door. French fries were served in cartons typically used with Chinese take-out food. Pat said, “George’s always had the coldest milk in town, too.” During the last week of George’s, he recalled being there on three different days, and that the restaurant was very busy. After the restaurant closed, Pat recalls seeing the neon sign of George’s on the wall of a short-lived East Brainerd Road restaurant.
George Jonopulos passed away in 1992 at the age of 91, leaving many family members, friends, and customers to cherish his accomplishments and his memory.
If you have memories of George Jonopolus and his famous hamburgers, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@signaldata.net.
George's Hamburgers was longtime favorite