LYNNWOOD – An iconic restaurant on Highway 99 has closed its doors for good.
Jimbo’s Family Restaurant, near the intersection of 196th Street SW, has served its last basket of fish-n-chips because the restaurateurs couldn’t get their lease on the property renewed, Jimbo’s co-owner George Ageladaris said.
The restaurant – with an all-American menu ranging from hot dogs to steak – had been operating on a month-to-month basis since May.
For about seven years, Ageladaris has run the restaurant with his wife, Sharon, and their two daughters, Teena, 21 and Melina, 16.
James Anderson, 74, of Edmonds opened the restaurant in 1963.
Closing down was bittersweet, Ageladaris said.
“I’d like to thank all the employees who have participated in this place, and all the beautiful customers, the loyal customers for many years,” he said. “They’ve supported us great.”
Ageladaris said the property owner didn’t force him to close shop. He said he decided to call it quits because the building was in need of repairs, including fixing a leaky roof over the dining room.
Without a lease agreement, Ageladaris said he didn’t want to invest more cash into the building.
“How can you spend any money on your car if you don’t know whether it’s going to run tomorrow?” he said.
Lynnwood Economic Development Director David Kleitsch said no other projects for that site are on file with the city.
“Our understanding is the property owners are moving toward a larger project out there,” he said.
Anderson, the original owner, said the restaurant was called Bing’s Burgers when he bought it. He decided to name it Jimbo’s because of two other nearby restaurants, Kebo’s and Sambo’s.
“I just thought if some customers had been into one of those places and liked it, maybe they’d drive by and say, ‘Oh, there’s one of those ‘bo places.’” Jimbo’s was owned by either Anderson or his children until the late 1990s, Anderson said.
“You get a little sad, it was there for so many years,” he said. “It’s just progress.”
Snohomish County District Court Judge Carol McRae has been a regular Jimbo’s customer since the early 1990s, when she began working as a prosecutor at the court’s south division office.
She sipped countless cups of coffee there with other judges, public defenders and lawyers.
The last time McRae ate there was two weeks ago. She and two other judges talked shop over pancakes and coffee.
“Everybody was friendly there, the entire staff,” she said. “Sooner or later, you ran into just about everyone there, from the mayor of Lynnwood on down.”
Ageladaris, who lives in Brier, said he’s looking at a couple locations in Lynnwood to open another restaurant.
There will never be another Jimbo’s, he said.
“It breaks my heart, but it’s not up to me,” he said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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