Some restaurants will reliably spark an impassioned response, even if (and perhaps especially if) they are long gone.
That’s the case with Crazy Johnnie’s Steak House, a low-key legend from the Metairie restaurant scene.
Crazy Johnnie’s closed nearly a decade ago, but talk of a possible return for the restaurant seemed to sweep social media in moments.
The filet mignon poyboy is served with a side of Crazy Potatoes at Crazy Johnnie's in Fat City on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. (Photo by Dinah Rogers, NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune)
The Crazy Johnnie’s brand is indeed back in circulation, with a line of the steak sauces and seasoning newly available again. The prospect of the restaurant returning, however, is anything but certain.
Stirring the sauce
Crazy Johnnie’s was a steakhouse cut from a different cloth than the expense account types, known for its inexpensive steaks and tavern-like atmosphere. It was a place to eat like a king for a pittance of a price, in a setting that was more about video poker and longnecks than power lunches and wine lists.
The restaurant’s namesake was the late Johnnie Schram, and she was the aunt of Mike Landry.
Steak sauce and barbecue shrimp seasoning from the former Metairie restaurant Crazy Johnnie's are back in circulation. (Contributed photo)
At the end of 2023, Landry brought back a retail line of bottled steak sauce and packets of seasoning for the restaurant’s barbecue shrimp. He’s selling these products direct now via facebook.com/crazyjohnniessteaksauce.
As images of the Crazy Johnnie’s brand on their labels began making the social media rounds, so did talk of reopening the restaurant.
The table salads and dipping bread are favorite appetizers at Crazy Johnnie's in Fat City on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. (Photo by Dinah Rogers, NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune)
But don’t start tucking in your napkin just yet. Landry said he wants to reopen the restaurant, but the idea is still in the discussion phase, and that includes discussions with family members who previously ran the restaurant.
“Hopefully it works out,” Landry said. “My intention is to do something that brings it back. It’s got to be done right, the quality has to be there.”
Patrons order lunch in the dinning room at Crazy Johnnie's in Fat City on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. (Photo by Dinah Rogers, NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune)
Members of the Crazy Johnnie's family were surprised to see the idea crop up on social media.
Barry Sevin Jr. was a manager at the steakhouse up until its closure, and his father was Schram's long time companion. He said he and his family have no intention of getting back into the restaurant business. Right now, he said, they're researching the status of Crazy Johnnie's name and intellectual property rights since the restaurant's closure.
A different cut
Crazy Johnnies in Fat City is photographed in 1992. (Rusty Costanza/The Times-Picayune archive)
Crazy Johnnie’s Steak House started out in 1987 as a neighborhood bar in Metairie’s Fat City area, at 3520 18th St. A simple “steak night” promotion proved so popular that the operation evolved into a full-time restaurant.
Rising beef prices eventually began catching up with the restaurant’s business model, however, and by 2013 Schram was ready to retire. But once regulars heard it would shut down, they turned out in such numbers that Crazy Johnnie’s stayed open for several more months. It eventually shut for good in the spring of 2014. Johnnie Schram died in 2018 at age 76.
Beef prices have only increased in the ensuing years, and in 2023 hit historic highs. How any new version of Crazy Johnnie’s could reckon this against the restaurant’s reputation for value steaks is another question.
Still, Landry said the outpouring of support he’s received just by bringing back the sauce and seasoning is putting more wind in his sails for the restaurant idea.
“It’s really heartwarming to see it, to see how much Metairie wants this back,” Landry said.
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Could Crazy Johnnie’s Steak House reopen in Metairie? The return of sauces stirs the pot. - NOLA.com
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