Maggie interviews Paul Tyler of John O'Groats restaurant
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00:00We're here with Paul Tyler today of John O'Groats.
00:03He is the owner and operator.
00:05It is a staple.
00:07It is an iconic restaurant on Pico and Rancho Park
00:11right by the park.
00:13How long has John O'Groats been there?
00:15We have been open on February 26th.
00:19It'll be 43 years.
00:22Wow, okay.
00:22Yeah, very quickly.
00:25That is amazing.
00:26Okay, and you know, you have,
00:28like everybody who's anybody
00:30and everyone in between who goes there.
00:32So sadly, I know you have a lot of clients,
00:34customers who lost their homes
00:37and you are no stranger to helping people in need,
00:40especially when it comes to food.
00:42We've known each other for what, like 15 years at least?
00:46And you're always, always helping out people.
00:49So tell me what you're doing
00:50for the people affected, your customers.
00:53Well, essentially everybody that has been coming
00:56into John O'Groats over the last couple of weeks,
00:58I will check in with them.
01:02If I know them, if I don't know them
01:04and ask, you know, how's everything?
01:06And you know, you get some pretty candid answers
01:09regarding their status with their homes.
01:12In the first week, of course,
01:13it was either they were evacuated,
01:15they'd lost their home, they were housing somebody.
01:18So in that moment, I would say, you know what?
01:21We got this.
01:22You know, you're here for comfort.
01:24We'd like to buy you, you know, your lunch, your breakfast.
01:28If we can provide a dinner for you,
01:31you know, maybe a family style fried chicken,
01:33something of that nature.
01:35And, you know, so many people were just so overwhelmed
01:39with what was going on in their lives
01:42and were the offer of just the comfort.
01:46You know, a lot of people were very emotional.
01:49So in doing that, you know, just being able to provide
01:53not just the food,
01:54because really it's more than just the food.
01:57It's about the feeling that people come in
01:59when they come in the John O'Groats.
02:02It feels like a second home to many people.
02:06I would say that a large number of close friends
02:08from Loyola High School,
02:11both my classmates and or my son's classmates
02:15are currently experiencing what it is to not have a house.
02:21And today, for example, I had a very close friend.
02:25We went to Loyola together.
02:26We played football and he is completely without a house now.
02:32He and his wife rented an apartment in Santa Monica,
02:37but we spoke about how surreal it is
02:40that all this is happening.
02:42So we are concentrating on not just feeding them with food,
02:48but also comforting them.
02:50And that's really what we've been kind of focusing on.
02:55It's always that way at John O'Groats.
02:57So it does always feel,
02:59you always make everyone feel at home
03:01and your mom's there sometimes and your brother
03:03and your family, you know, your wonderful kids.
03:06It does feel like a home, whether it's a disaster or not.
03:10Now you have taken it a step further
03:12and you're providing for the firefighters.
03:15Tell us about that.
03:17Sure, well, essentially, again,
03:20it's something that needs to be done.
03:24These persons that are taking care of other people,
03:26they're heroes in their own right.
03:29And we've always felt that way.
03:31We've always had that kind of relationship
03:33with both our friends in the fire department
03:36and police officers,
03:39that the services that they offer
03:40for our community are essential.
03:44And we recognize what they do.
03:46And so what people,
03:48and I've got some very generous friends,
03:51a shout out to my college fraternity brothers
03:55and good friends who have donated a lot of money
04:02to feed the first responders.
04:05And so we've been doing that either
04:08in the way of breakfast burritos, sandwiches, dinner,
04:14supplementing if they come in to order food to go,
04:19just buying their lunches outright.
04:23You know, and something that's not just now,
04:26because, you know, I would like to,
04:28we provided, and actually, truth be told,
04:32we've always provided a 50% discount
04:35for all police officers and fire persons.
04:40That's so nice, Paul.
04:43Well, I think it's not just nice, it's necessary.
04:47Come on, a lot of people don't do it.
04:49So people listening, if they want to help,
04:53they can also do what your friend did
04:56because you are a family owned business.
04:59You're not a chain.
05:00You're a one, you know, family owned.
05:03So, I mean, it's very generous that you do this,
05:06but you could use help, right?
05:08If people, because there are a lot of people
05:10who don't know what to do.
05:11What I like to see is people get involved
05:15and it can be a $10 donation or a $1,000 donation.
05:20It's just, I think, and it's something
05:22that I've always told, well, and my children anyway,
05:27it's like, don't stand on the sidelines.
05:31Be a part of what's going on.
05:33And so anybody can help.
05:35It can be in the way of your time.
05:38It can be in the way of your treasures,
05:42your money.
05:43And so I've had persons that they said,
05:46well, we can't donate it,
05:47but can we take it to the police officers
05:49or the fire department?
05:51Yeah, certainly.
05:52So, you know, people will offer to drive the meals
05:56if I can't get out of the office.
05:58There is the fire department directly down the street
06:01from us.
06:02So that's kind of cool.
06:03That's about 50 yards away.
06:05And that's fire station 92.
06:07There is a fire station that is located,
06:14let me see, located over at Olympic near Federal.
06:20That's fire station 59.
06:22And the other fire station that's close to us
06:23is on Sunset and Beverly Glen.
06:26And I believe that's fire station 71.
06:30So all of them we've been able to get some stuff up to.
06:33And the first day, that Wednesday,
06:37I went over to the Westwood Rec Center
06:40to take biscuits, coffee.
06:42And again, it's not about the food.
06:45It's really more about the comfort that people receive
06:50from eating or drinking a cup of coffee.
06:54Yeah, and well, to know that someone cared about them
06:57and is thinking of them.
06:58I think that's even more than the food.
07:00The food is good though.
07:01You need the food,
07:02but that you went to the trouble to make it,
07:05to think of them, to deliver it and to show up
07:07when they know.
07:10Yeah, and the other part of it too,
07:11is if I do go personally,
07:13you're finding out stories about people.
07:16You're really, you're, you are engaging them
07:19and you're getting to know them
07:21beyond just handing them a cup of coffee.
07:26Yeah.
07:27Well, I know you're busy.
07:28I know just from your phone.
07:33Where would people go?
07:35Like a phone number, website, Venmo, Zelle, how would they?
07:39You can contact me personally at Jono Gross.
07:41I would recommend that.
07:42Or they can reach out to us on our website
07:44and just kind of tell me what your intentions are
07:47and I can walk you through.
07:48Yeah, and then people are selling my account
07:53if I give them the information.
07:54So it's probably best if they communicate with me personally
07:58that way we can kind of iron out
08:00whatever details they want.
08:02Sometimes people are very specific
08:04as to who they want to feed and that's okay.
08:10Okay, so what is the website?
08:13The website is jonogross.us.
08:16Yes, jonogrossrestaurant.us.
08:20.us?
08:21Yes, .us.
08:23And then you can reach me at jonogross
08:25at the restaurant itself, either by phone.
08:31If you do go on our website,
08:32there's a place to communicate with us via email.
08:35Okay, great.
08:36Or they can just call you old school on the phone,
08:38look up Jono Gross.
08:39Exactly, so it's 310-204-0692.
08:46Awesome, okay.
08:48Keep up the good work.
08:49I know you are in the middle of it
08:52and thank you for doing it.
08:54I'm sure all the people affected
08:56would say thank you to you as well.
08:58And if you would like to help, again,
09:00all you have to do is call Jono Gross
09:02or go on their website.