TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A treasured Tallahassee restaurant has reopened its doors after it was forced to close earlier this year.
Goodies Eatery reopened two months ago, just steps away from where they started in 1987. Their new location is at 106 East College Avenue in the heart of downtown Tallahassee.
Will Johnson is the new owner with a long-standing connection to the shop.
“I grew up down here in downtown Tallahassee. I was 16 when I started at Goodies, and worked all the way through college. Never left, and so, the people that are around here are the people I grew up with,” he said.
Johnson says it was a big step taking over with an uncertain future, but community support for the business never wavered.
“When I saw the people who were like, ‘okay, we’re so excited that you’re coming back. We’re so excited to support you again.’ That’s when I could take a deep breath,” Johnson said. “Our first day was just off the chains. We had people lined up back to this door.”
More Tallahassee news:
Although they’re in a different building, Johnson says the Goodies people know and love have not changed.
“We’ve kept our menu the same. We’ll add some new things, but I wanted it to feel exactly like where we left off,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he is grateful to see the shop up and running once again.
“Get back to where we started. Reimplement what Goodies is in downtown Tallahassee and really keep this brand and this Tallahassee staple alive,” he said. “It’s a true blessing. It really is.”
Will says once they get settled into their new location, they are looking at the possibility of expanding Goodies beyond the downtown area.
He says the previous owner, John Henningsen, still serves as a mentor to him, and he’s grateful to keep Goodies alive.
Tune into Eyewitness News at 5 and 6 p.m. to watch the full story. This article will be updated later this evening with more details.
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.