Johnny\u2019s Bagels and Deli in Farrington Square reopened on March 18, after being closed for renovations since mid-December.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The deli has undergone a complete modern transformation, with renovations to everything but the kitchen. The space now features white walls, counters and tables, bright lighting and red metal chairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owner John Zoir said the changes were necessary to keep students interested.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce in a while in the food business, you need some kind of changes to make the people interested so they don\u2019t get bored,\u201d Zoir said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zoir said closing was a significant risk, as students would be unable to visit the deli and might turn to other options. He said the closure was difficult because he missed interacting with students, but the updated atmosphere made it worthwhile.<\/p>\n
However, student reactions to the renovation have been mixed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chris Critchett \u201829, who frequently visited Johnny\u2019s, said he was frustrated by the deli\u2019s long closure. After the renovations, he said there\u2019s more seating available and that he plans to visit more often with friends.<\/p>\n
Zoir chose to close in mid-December, expecting renovations to be completed during winter break while students were away. The process\u00a0 took longer than expected, and reopening was postponed until after spring break.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During the closure, Zoir said he worried customers would turn elsewhere, but he\u2019s grateful for those who have returned.<\/p>\n
One loyal customer, Ben Allen, \u201829, said the renovations make Johnny\u2019s a more comfortable place to spend time than before. He said the white design reflects natural light and creates a more positive atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Zoir said his goal is to make Johnny\u2019s more than a grab-and-go, but also a place where students can eat, study and spend time together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said he expects business to increase following the reopening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to find ways to connect with Lehigh students through social media,\u201d Zoir said. \u201cI think some of them feel like it\u2019s easy for them to go to other places for convenience.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he hopes to reach more students and see the deli as busy as it was three to four years ago. He added that he hopes the renovation will make Johnny\u2019s a central destination for students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sophia McNamara, \u201827, said she believes the renovation could\u2019ve been done differently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c(Johnny\u2019s) lost its charm a little bit, but I think it\u2019s nice and clean looking,\u201d McNamara said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gio Patire, \u201829, who also frequently visits Johnny\u2019s, said he doesn\u2019t think the renovation was necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels kind of like we\u2019re in a spaceship now,\u201d Patire said. \u201cI like the cute little rustic feel that it had before, but I think it\u2019s nice (now) because it was a little dark when I would come in (before the renovations).\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now that Johnny\u2019s has reopened, Patire said he plans to return more often and that the new look doesn\u2019t take away from the food.<\/p>\n
Johnny\u2019s menu has remained unchanged, with only the interior updated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The deli has been part of the Lehigh community for nearly 20 years, with the Farrington Square location opening in 2007. Zoir said he remembers when students would travel over the bridge to the original Main Street location for bagels, which led him to open a location closer to campus.<\/p>\n
Zoir said he values his connection with the Lehigh community and wants students to know they\u2019re more than just customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about money \u2014 it\u2019s about being connected with the people you love,\u201d Zoir said. \u201cLehigh is really important to me. It\u2019s like a second family.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Johnny\u2019s Bagels and Deli in Farrington Square reopened on March 18, after being closed for renovations since mid-December.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160031,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[48710,119,121,120,1197,1515,1198],"class_list":{"0":"post-160030","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-3-min-read","9":"tag-allentown","10":"tag-allentown-headlines","11":"tag-allentown-news","12":"tag-feature","13":"tag-food","14":"tag-student-and-campus-life"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160030"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160030\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}