GRANITE CITY – After a hiatus, beloved staple Jerry’s Cafeteria is open again.
Located at 1920 Edison Avenue, Jerry’s Cafeteria has been a Granite City institution for decades. In October 2024, they closed the cafeteria side of their business to focus on catering. But thanks to the community’s support, they are open again from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
“It’s looking like it’s going in the right direction,” said Mickey Loftus, general manager. “But running a small business, it’s tough, and we could definitely use more traffic. We’re not trying to be everybody’s competition. We just would like to be able to pay the bills and take care of our loyal customer base and continue to be a staple in Granite for however many more years we can make it.”
Loftus explained that Jerry’s started 40 years ago. Owner Jon Roderick’s grandparents owned a tavern, and “it all started with turtle mulligan soup” when workers from the steel mill came in for lunch. Jerry’s soon expanded to a cafeteria-style restaurant, with sandwiches, soups, salads and signature hot dishes.
With rising costs, last year was “tough” for the establishment, and they ultimately decided to close their doors. But they continued catering and selling frozen meals.
This spring, Loftus and Roderick decided to open up on Fridays and sell fish for Lent. This went so well, and they developed so many new ideas, that they decided to try a Monday-through-Friday lunchtime business model.
Jerry’s has only been reopened for a few weeks now, but Loftus said it’s been going well. He noted that they went from a staff of 20 down to four people, and so they’ve scaled back their menu and introduced a few new items.
“Things are a little different. It’s not what everybody is necessarily used to. But we do still have some of our signature items that people grew to love over the last 40 years, sprinkled in with some new, exciting items that we’ve been having pretty decent success with for the first few weeks that we’ve been open,” he explained. “We’re trying to figure out what we’re able to handle with the staff because we don’t want to overextend ourselves and then hurt our guests that are coming in and trying to keep us going. We don’t want to disappoint.”
Jerry’s is focused on the quality of the food they serve, and they make everything from scratch. Loftus loves serving up some of their classics, like Hungarian goulash, chicken and dumplings, and twice-baked potatoes. But it’s also been fun bringing in new items like their BBQ porksteak, to be served this Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
You can check the official Jerry’s Cafeteria Facebook page for their daily menu. Catering is still available, and Jerry’s has been renting out their space on weekends for parties and other events.
Though Loftus said the past year has been “a bit of a rollercoaster,” it’s a ride he’s excited to be on as Jerry’s regains their footing in the Granite City community. Loftus thanked their loyal customers and encouraged the community to come out and try the new and classic Jerry’s dishes that have made them a staple over the past 40 years.
“We’re really trying to come up with new ideas of things that are going to make people come here and maybe be known for some new signature items that you can’t get anywhere else in Granite,” Loftus added. “It’s definitely been a challenge, but it’s an exciting challenge to try to figure out how we can keep navigating the waters to find some new success and come back.”
For more information about Jerry’s Cafeteria, visit their official Facebook page.
