After closing its doors for the holiday weekend, Birmingham’s John’s City Diner won’t reopen.

Owner Shannon Gober announced Wednesday morning the popular restaurant on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North had served its last meal.

“We have served our last meal,” the social media announcement said. “Poured the last cocktail. Yelled the last ‘Get Some.’”

Gober posted the announcement on the John’s City Diner Facebook and Instagram accounts.

“19 years ago I had a vision,” the announcement continued. ”I built it. It has been a privilege to work with some of the finest human beings on the planet. Look around. The Birmingham restaurant scene is littered with people who worked for John’s. The people. Our guests, too many to mention, but lasting memories of discussing football with Mr Bromberg, the hundreds of Wedding events, Wine Dinners with table #5, all the happy smiling faces all made it what it was supposed to be. The vision.”

In the note, Gober thanked friends and family for their support and hard work during the years it was open. He singled out his wife Shana. “This business would not have existed without you,“ the note said. “You were the rock every day. If I had your strength I would have opened a hundred restaurants. You deserved better than to roll in here everyday and listen to me. But you did and you were great at this.

He also thanked his son Ari and his city. “Thank You Birmingham. It was ’Nice’ to be with you.’”

In the comment sections on social media, patrons and former employees of John’s City Diner posted well wishes and fond memories of the downtown Birmingham restaurant.

On Facebook, Chris Callahan bid farewell to the eatery with a message of gratitude, followed by a heart emoji.

“Oh, my friends. Thank you for the food and the fun and the memories. There’s nothing like JCD.”

“An amazing place!” wrote Instagram user runrgrl83. “We visited when we were in town and the food, service, decor, everything was beautiful/delicious.”

As of Wednesday, Google lists John’s City Diner as permanently closed.

In 2004 Shannon Gober and his father, Doug bought the 66-year-old John’s Restaurant and transformed it into John’s City Diner. Over the years, the modern diner would become well known for serving both Southern classics and contemporary fare, from its small plate pimento cheese to its entrees, including the “Famous Meatloaf” and pecan-crusted trout.

Flanked by the yellow and purple “It’s Nice to Have You In Birmingham” mural, the restaurant was a landmark at 112 Richard Arrington Blvd.

Shannon Gober and his wife Shana also opened a location of John’s City Diner in Trussville, which operated for nearly five years before they sold the business in 2010. The move allowed the Gobers to focus more on the downtown location of John’s. That same year, Shannon Gober sought a loan from a city of Birmingham business program to aid in a revamp for the restaurant. The proposal for the loan was eventually tabled.

Despite that setback, John’s City Diner continued to be one of the city’s most popular restaurants. Shannon and Shana Gober developed an equally strong beverage program, hosting wine and beer dinners that featured libations paired with specially curated menus. In 2019, John’s hosted two whiskey luminaries—Woodford Reserve master distiller Elizabeth McCall and Old Forester master taster Jackie Zykan for a series of talks and tastings. The eatery also hosted its inaugural cocktail dinner. The four-course meal featured drinks crafted with pours of hand-selected whiskey.

John’s City Diner, like many of its peers in the industry, faced economic hardship at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. After one of its best-performing Februaries, John’s was forced to shutter its interior dining premises due to pandemic safety protocols. While the Gobers didn’t pivot the eatery to offer curbside service to bring in additional income, they did start selling the restaurant’s hand-selected bottles of spirits for extra revenue. When pandemic restrictions lifted in May 2020, John’s remained closed, but continued to offer catering services. The restaurant officially reopened to the public more than a year later during the summer of 2021.