After four years of business, Jon’s Grille has officially shut its doors.

Chef Jon Bonnell hoped his restaurant would succeed, despite the construction around campus. He noted that while the concept and service were a unique fit for the community, sales did not support the restaurant.

“Parking was hard,” Bonnell said. “We heard from a lot of customers who wanted to go just couldn’t find a spot so they just drove on.”

The Morado apartment complex and parking garage being built on Berry Street, across from the restaurant, made it more difficult to attract customers over the past year.

Bonnell’s health also made it more difficult for him to appear at the restaurant and keep it running. He was diagnosed with Stage 3 throat cancer caused by an HPV strain in December.

This past March, he announced he was cancer free. Since then, Bonnell has slowly continued his recovery while trying to be involved with his businesses as much as possible.

“I’m still recovering and don’t have a lot of energy to work with but still getting better every day,” Bonnell said.

Jon’s Grille served unique burgers and barbecue with over 30 beers on tap. (Photo courtesy of Jon Bonnell)

Jon’s Grille originally opened in 1989 on South University Drive in the space now occupied by Dutch’s. Bonnell was a frequent visitor and became good friends with the then-owner Jon Meyerson. The restaurant closed in 2001 following Meyerson’s death.

Bonnell decided to open the location on Berry Street more than two decades later to honor his late friend. He brought back the local burger joint with beef from his family’s ranch, hoping to give the community the same level of food and commitment his late friend would have provided.

It became the fourth restaurant owned by Bonnell’s Restaurant Group, which includes Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Buffalo Bros and Waters Restaurant.

One of Bonnell’s top priorities when Jon’s Grille closed was making sure his other restaurants had room for the employees who were losing their jobs.

 “We reached out to every single employee individually and said, ‘we have a spot for you somewhere’,” Bonnell said. “We were in a very unique position with our other restaurants and I was very glad we were able to do that.”

Bonnell’s announcement post on Facebook received immediate attention from the Fort Worth community. He was expecting a much more intense reaction from his peers and customers, saying social media tends to bring out negative reactions from people in these situations. Instead, Bonnell was stunned by the understanding and support for his decision and his continued recovery.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed with the support and people just being good humans,” Bonnell said. “It says a lot for the Fort Worth community.”

Bonnell (left) with his family and friends at a table in Jon’s Grille. (Photo Courtesy of Jon Bonnell)

Bonnell talked about how great and special the place was, especially on days of TCU football games. His favorite memories came from spending time with the people. He believes there was no community like the Jon’s Grille community.

“I thought the concept was fun, I thought it was special, and a great hangout,” Bonnell said. “I had a lot of fun there, a lot of good times there with family and friends, and I’m just going to miss it.”

The space Jon’s Grille occupied is still vacant. Bonnell noted that the space is ready to be moved into, fully stocked and sitting in a prime location for future students and customers. He said several groups are looking closely at the space.