Johnny’s is the East Coast’s Official bar of the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Cleveland Browns, The Cleveland Guardians, The Columbus Crew, The Columbus Blue Jackets, THE Ohio State Buckeyes, Youngstown State, and Dayton. Our Patron Saints are LeBron James, President Obama, and Dave Chappelle.
Our monument to
an All - American Hero
I'm a third-generation factory worker and UAW member. My dad has worked at GM now for 40 years. My mother , a social worker, went to Ohio State when i was a mere tot and I spent my days running around the halls of campus and would eventually attend the best school on earth some 15 years later. My Grandma on my mothers side worked in a kitchen for 60 years and taught me everything about food and family. My grandma on my Dad’s side worked 50 years in a department store that I grew up in running around as if were my playground. My grandfather, Johnny worked at GM for 56 years. He was a civil rights, women's rights and labor rights champion. He dedicated his life to fighting for the working class. He helped elect at that time Representative Sherrod Brown as his babysitter and campaign manager. He was on countless boards and commissions to help working-class people in Ohio. Grandpa started little leagues, skilled trades apprenticeship programs, and countless other initiatives that stand til this day to help give people a chance. He and my family would go door to door to get people registered to vote, and load them into his Buick, and get them to the polls. I remember taking meals to halfway houses and working with local civil rights leaders from his generation to open safe places for minorities and women. I am so lucky to have a chance to honor his legacy. He was my hero, a working-class hero, and a respected leader for legions of women, people of color, and labor workers. Grandpa was a voting delegate for President Obama in 2008 and a revered leader in the union worker and civil rights spaces. My Army vet grandpa died with a 21-gun salute from the country he served without a penny to his name. His home was sold in a sheriff's auction. As a first-generation business owner, I am honoring his legacy with this neighborhood shrine and safe place for all people. I wish Grandpa was here to see what I did. I created the exact type of place where he would come and the whole city would come to talk to him over a cold beer, the Buckeyes on TV, and a good burger.
Thank you to our amazing community for embracing us and being a big part of his legacy. Together, we can accomplish so much. One of the lessons I held most closely from Grandpa is that you will never know what people are going through. Be compassionate. Listen. And help wherever you can. Johnny’s is a place where we look out for our community and the community looks out for us. Just as Johnny would want.
To me, the most amazing thing about my Grandpa, the man with 100 jobs, was that he NEVER missed an academic or sports event of mine, my dad, or my siblings his entire life.
I wish my Grandpa and I could still go to Ohio State Games, and talk sports, and politics. But we cannot any longer. So Johnny’s All-American is the place where we honor that. Welcome to the DC home of working-class folks.
So, just come enjoy the Johhny’s aura. And “don’t kick up any guff. “
-Branden
DC’s first and Only “Fancy Dive”
The Official Ohio Embassy
Your East Coast Ohio State Buckeye HQ
Ohio & Midwest Sports HQ
Come catch your team and all the action in a fun laid back atmosphere!
Midwest beef franks: ALL DAY EVEYRDAY
Love Johnny’s!
No grand opening. No official announcements. We just opened, and got down to serving a great experience to locals!
Not Bad.
New kids on the block. Thanks for recognizing Johnny’s as best in the city!
Thanks Washingtonian!
“Johnny’s All-American Is a Fancy Dive Bar With Ohio Vibes”
A tribute to an American hero. Grandpa Johnny.
Help Defend Johnny’s All American from Injustice and Extortion
1099 short-term help extorts the sole proprietor of small black business
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Branden , and I am the proud owner of Johnny's All American, a Black-owned establishment that has been serving our community with dedication and love for over two years.
Today, I reach out to you not just as a business owner, but as a member of a community that believes in justice, fairness, and the power of standing together. Our beloved establishment is facing a grave challenge that threatens not only our livelihood but also the values we uphold.
Today, I need your help. We are under legal attack by a former bartender, Mia Cascio, an affluent woman who is accusing Johnny’s of under paying her by a less than $400 (and we did not under pay her at all). Her argument appears to be that on a busy day in July, she is entitled to all of the tips instead of sharing them with the other bartenders she worked with that day. Mia actually made on average $30/hour while working here, and is now demanding $50,000 in damages with false claims that she wasn’t paid minimum wage (!!?!) Mia never even came to me or called once about the alleged tip shortage, and instead months later while working for her new employer decided to extort my small business, me personally, and my wife personally to embarrass us publicly and shake me down for a quick and dirty settlement .
Not only are the accusations untrue, but they are deeply hurtful and damaging. She sued me personally and Johnny’s. She is also extorting my wife, who most of you know has her own full-time law job, by baselessly suing her and trying to embarrass her and her law firm.
Even more disturbing: Mia is using the Georgetown Civil Justice Law Clinic, a program meant to help underserved people like non-English speakers and poor families — not to assist someone with wealth and privilege in attacking a Black-owned business. This feels like a gross abuse of power, and racial and economic discrimination.
Instead of celebrating our second anniversary, we’re now fighting to survive. The legal costs are mounting — and that’s exactly the pressure tactic being used: drown us in expenses so we’ll settle. But we refuse to be bullied or extorted.
Mia was given every opportunity here — she set her own hours, was never reprimanded, and learned new skills that helped her land another job immediately. Her claims are baseless, and the trauma this has caused my family and my business is real. We’re not a big company. We’re a neighborhood outpost . We care about our community and our staff. We brought Mia on as a referral from friends to give her a shot in what was her very first job. And it blew up in my face.
We’re a solo-owned first generation black business that was self-funded, no VC backing or restaurant group, etc. We just want to work hard everyday and try to make a living by adding value in the community . This truly is unfair that people would want to abuse local laws and free clinics to try to extort and cancel a business like this that matters in our community.
How You Can Help
We urgently need funds to:
Pay for legal defense for myself and Johnny’s All American
Stand up to false claims and protect our reputation and livelihood
Push back against this misuse of legal resources and cancel culture targeting small businesses
Please donate whatever you can, and share this with your networks. Together, we can say NO to extortion, discrimination, and gentrification bullying.
Thank you for standing with us. And for standing with local restaurants and bars against the further destruction of our beloved industry.
—Branden
