BIG JO'S SANTA MONICA IS CLOSING DOWN :(

My name is Joy Lee and I am the owner of Big Jo's Santa Monica. We are a family mom & pop restaurant and I took over operations with my sister Hana in 2016.

After 65 years of serving Santa Monica, we're being forced to shut down our family business. The landlord is selling the property and we're forced to leave with nothing after investing our life savings to take over the business. (We bought @fair price from our relative) We will be permanently closing on Monday, October 17, 2022.

After careful consideration and encouragement from many of our customers, we have decided to start a Go Fund Me to take care of our employees that will be out of work. Some of our guys have been with us for over a 15years and we want to take care of them after we close.

Also, we'd like to raise some funds so that we can relocate and reopen Big Jo's. We have become so inspired and encouraged by the outpouring of love and support from our customers and community, that we are determined to keep Big Jo's alive. We are currently exploring our options...

Big Jo’s has a long history here in Santa Monica. An old service station dating back to the 1940’s, the service station was eventually closed and converted into a family burger restaurant in the late 50's. Big Jo’s has literally served generations right there on 20th & Broadway.

Even during the pandemic, the business survived due to the outpouring of support from the Santa Monica community. Unfortunately, the landlord is selling the property and even Big Jo’s can’t survive the changing environment of new developments in Santa Monica.

At this time, we would like to thank all our beloved customers, the daily regulars, Big Jo’s had such a wide range of people we served in the community. From doctors and nurses from the nearby St. Joseph’s & UCLA Medical Centers, to students from Crossroads and other local schools, to business employees from Colorado Center, to the city and government employees, SMPD police officers, SM firefighters, to all the employees from the car dealerships on Santa Monica Boulevard, to all the Fedex & UPS delivery guys, to all the construction site workers, to all the daily commuters, Big Jo’s was truly a staple in Santa Monica and they will be sorely missed. We also want to take this time to thank all our loyal and amazing employees who made Big Jo’s what it is, some of which has been with us for nearly 20 years.

We are determined to relocate and reopen Big Jo's. There is nothing officially set at this time, but please follow us on Instagram @Big_Jos_Burgers or www.bigjosburgers.com for updates and announcements on our future plans.

STAY TUNED!

Thank you for all your support throughout the years Santa Monica! WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS SO MUCH!

Very sincerely yours,

Big Jo's Santa Monica

Joy Lee

Hana Lee