A Cleveland-based restaurant and entertainment company is taking over the former Tin Roof restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter and converting it into a nightclub and restaurant with a 1970s theme.
Called Goodnight John Boy for the character in the TV show “The Waltons,” the club and restaurant by Forward Hospitality Group is modeled after the basement in the childhood home of CEO and founder Michael Schwartz, right down to 1970s-era wood paneling, wallpaper, and modern televisions made to look like the console models of the ‘70s.
Michael Schwartz
CEO and Founder
Forward Hospitality Group
“We had a small, little house that had a wonderful basement. I had great friends and a lot of love, which is way more important than having material possessions,” said Schwartz, who came up with the idea for Good Night John Boy during COVID.
“COVID was a really difficult time,” Schwartz said. He created Good Night John Boy in hopes of recapturing the warmth he felt as a child growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Heights.
“It’s just a fun place,” Schwartz said of Good Night John Boy. “You walk in, you’ll turn the corner, straight ahead will be a dance floor. Beyond that will be a poster of Farrah Fawcett.”
‘Feel-Good’ Era Highlighted
Everybody who works at Good Night John Boy will be wearing clothing styles that date to the 1970s, not uniforms, but clothes they find that are from that era.
“The fabrics in our couches are all reminiscent of what was in my basement and my friends’ basement at the time. You make it bigger, and you add a bunch of TVs. We play music from my childhood, my teen years,” Schwartz said. “Every one of our DJ booths is one of the old tube stereo players where they had a television console in the center and the turntable on top.”
Even the food is modeled after what Schwartz had as a child in the 1970s, with upscale versions of such dishes as mac and cheese and pasta made to look like SpaghettiOs.
“We do a lot of TV dinners,” Schwartz said. “They actually come in a TV dinner box, and you open it up at your table.”
Schwartz said that he chose the name, Good Night John Boy, because “The Waltons” was a favorite of his.
“At the end of the show, they would say ‘Goodnight.’ For me, I love those old shows. They had a story to tell. The great thing about ‘The Waltons’ was they went through some drama. At the end of the night, they always said, in a very loving manner, good night to everyone,” Schwartz said. “I love the fact that the show was a feel-good show with a feel-good ending.”
Schwartz said that he wants to recreate that feeling for people who come to Good Night John Boy.
“We value our customers. We know that they’ve worked long days and they’ve got a lot going on. I want our places to feel good,” Schwartz said.
$2M Reno Replaces Pop-Up Bar
Since leasing the former Tin Roof building at 401 G St. in November, Forward Hospitality Group has been running a Christmas-themed pop-up bar in the former Tin Roof.
The pop-up bar will likely close in January, with a goal of completing renovations and opening Good Night John Boy by late summer 2024, Schwartz said.
If permitting for Good Night John Boy takes longer than expected, Schwartz said that he might open another pop-up bar in the building with a different theme once the Christmas pop-up closes.
Schwartz estimated that the renovations will cost about $2 million and include installing linoleum flooring reminiscent of the ‘70s, installing beer lights and signs from brands that were popular during that era, and hanging posters and other memorabilia.
“All the surfaces need to be redone in 70s manner,” Schwartz said. “I will move a couple of the bars to create a better dance floor area and better couch seating areas.”
Surging Interest in Downtown
The Gaslamp club and restaurant will be the first Good Night John Boy on the West Coast. Other clubs are in Cleveland, St. Petersburg, Fla., Chicago, and Columbus, Ohio.
Schwartz said that he decided to open a club in San Diego after visiting the city.
“I was supposed to stay for two days. I stayed for three weeks,” Schwartz said. “The people are really down to earth. They remind me of the people in the Midwest, it’s not like fancy schmancy. You see a lot of people in shorts and jeans.”
Dave Maxwell
Principal
Urban Property Group
Brokers who negotiated the lease on the Tin Roof building said that it was part of a surging interest in downtown property.
“This might be like the fourth or fifth large restaurant deal that we’ve done downtown,” said Dave Maxwell, a principal of Urban Property Group.
Other recent deals brokered by Urban Property Group were Arcade Monsters lease of 12,400 square feet of space at 704 J St., Darband Mediterranean Restaurant’s lease of 10,400 square feet of space at 1450 Kettner Blvd., and Fishers Seafood Restaurant lease of 8,200 square feet at 555 W. Beech St.
Tyson Youngs
Director
Main + Main
Tyson Youngs, director of Main + Main who represented Forward Hospitality Group, said that there was “a ton of interest” in the Tin Roof building from multiple hospitality companies.
Youngs said that the Gaslamp Quarter “is a really desirable trade area, especially for national brands.”
The challenge comes in finding vacant space, Youngs said.
“Once you get to the southern end of the Gaslamp, there’s not much turnover.”
Forward Hospitality Group
Founded: 2014
Headquarters: Cleveland, Ohio
Founder and CEO: Michael Schwartz; COO Bobby Rutter; CMO Dante Deiana
Business: restaurant and entertainment
Number of employees: 600
Contact: info@fwdhospitality.com
Notable: Forward Hospitality Group operates several dining and nightlife concepts in Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, St. Pete, and Miami.
SHARE