New owners, new location for GruJo’s

Shannon CareyHalls

Fans of authentic German street food found reason to rejoice yesterday as GruJo’s German Restaurant reopened just a stone’s throw from its original location.

The location and ownership are new, but the food, recipes and atmosphere are the same. Derek and Sarah Galyon purchased the business when the previous owners decided to move back to Germany. Derek was general manager of the restaurant under the previous owners.

“(Derek) has worked in food service for a long time in management positions,” said Sarah. He came to GruJo’s and just really loved how the community responded to it. It’s something a little different, and he loved how people would come in and share their stories about visiting Germany. He’s always wanted to own his own place, and the opportunity presented itself.”

There were some hurdles to reopening, though. First was that the lease on the former location at the corner of Emory Road and Dry Gap Pike expired and the Galyons couldn’t negotiate a continuation. The new location is just behind the old, though, in a nearby shopping center.

Another hurdle, this a delightful one, was translating the original GruJo’s recipes from German into English!

The new location will have beer sales as soon as taps are installed, along with the original food menu. The Galyons want to keep the menu simple, but they’re also open to suggestions.

“We’re happy that the community has been so supportive,” said Sarah. “We kept the Facebook page up to keep everybody in the loop and were amazed at how many people kept asking when we were going to reopen. We’re really happy that they didn’t forget about us.”

The new location is 1336 E. Emory Road, and hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

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