Rockin’ Johnny’s Diner is opening a new location on Merivale Road, following the closure of its Westgate Mall location last fall.
Enzo Mastromattei, franchise owner of Rockin’ Johnny’s Diner, told OBJ Friday the restaurant will reopen at 1651 Merivale Rd. early next week.
The eatery will be taking over the former location of The Happy Greek restaurant near No Frills, Winners and Value Village.
Mastromattei said he and Anthony Joseph, who bought the Westgate location in 2005, chose Merivale Road for its proximity to the restaurant’s previous location.
The diner’s new location offers the same Rockin’ Johnny’s vibe as the former spot with a new modern take, Mastromattei said.
“It’s going to be a little different, more upscale,” he said. “It’s still going to have the car on the wall, but it’s not (going to have) that chrome, black, white and red (colour scheme). We’ve gotten away from that.”
Rockin’ Johnny’s will also be welcoming back some of the employees who were let go when the Westgate location closed last October.
The 1950s-style restaurant’s former location inside the Westgate Mall was forced to close its doors last October when the 68-year old mall closed for residential redevelopment, even though Mastromattei’s lease at the space ran until 2029.
RioCan, which owns the site, says it plans to build a new grocery store attached to the current Shopper’s Drug Mart, which will stay. The second phase of construction calls for two 36-storey mixed-use towers.
Plans to redevelop Ottawa’s oldest mall have been in the works since 2019 and are scheduled to take 15 to 20 years to finish. Once complete, the site will house five towers containing more than 88,000 square feet of commercial space, 1,146 residential units and central public green space.
Rockin’ Johnny’s had been a staple in the community since Mastromattei opened the Westgate Mall location in 1991.
“I think some people will come here. It’s not that far from Westgate,” he said.
— With files from Charlie Senack and David Cummings
