Union Street
Lopez, a one-time partner in Union Street and fixture in the local dining scene, died Monday
Detroit’s community is remembering friend and longtime restaurant and bar fixture Johnny “JLo” Lopez. Metro Times reports that Lopez died Monday. The cause of death was not immediately available.
A serial restaurateur, Lopez was a former partner in Union Street along Woodward Avenue. He left Detroit in the early 1990s only to return and help establish Agave and later Atlas Global Bistro. In the mid-aughts Lopez revived Twingo’s in Midtown and helped establish Mercury Bar in Corktown.
As news of his passing spread, friends, former coworkers, and customers shared their memories and photos of Lopez on social media.
In a statement to followers on Facebook, Union Street’s management expressed condolences to Lopez’s family. “Thank you for sharing him. He was very dedicated to his work to a fault at times but he was damn good at what he had a passion for,” the management writes. “If this guy didn’t make you giggle there was something clearly wrong with you.”
John, Johnny, JLO, Lopez Our deepest condolences to his family. Thank you for sharing him. He was very dedicated to his...
Posted by Union Street Detroit on Tuesday, May 26, 2020
A dear friend and comrade, John Lopez, has died. John was the hub.The center and the spark of a very special part of...
Posted by Fred Ward on Monday, May 25, 2020
John Lopez rest in peace and the love your city has for you. A truly tragic loss of a Detroit legend.
Posted by Stirling Detroit on Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Johnny Lopez was one of a kind. He gave me my first management position. He believed in me when I didn’t believe in...
Posted by Christopher Housholder on Monday, May 25, 2020
He was an early champion of Detroit’s emerging dining scene and was regularly quoted by local media. He seemed to have an innate sense for predicting the direction of the local food industry.
“Detroit has always been as cool a city as you would find anywhere in the country,” Lopez told Model D in a 2005 interview about new business development in Cass Corridor. “I want to change the quality of life for people in this neighborhood.”
• Detroit Mourns the Loss of Restauranteur and ‘Spark’ of the City, Johnny Lopez [MT]
• Beloved Longtime Detroit Restaurateur John Lopez Has Died [Detroit News]
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