Bill Johnson’s last Big Apple restaurant shutting down in Phoenix
May 21, 2015, 1:13 PM | Updated: May 28, 2015, 9:37 am
PHOENIX — After nearly 60 years serving Western fare in the Phoenix area, the original Bill Johnson’s Big Apple restaurant is closing.
The final day for the iconic eatery at 37th and Washington streets was scheduled for Sunday, numerous news outlets reported.
The other four locations in the chain had shut down a while ago and the company had filed for bankruptcy last fall.
Generations of Arizonans have feasted on Wild West tacos, Tombstone BLTs, Cowboy Philly sandwiches, Whiskey Row burgers, Sidewinder Steak salads,d Campfire Cheese Dip and Trail Boss Dinners, among others.
The first restaurant opened 59 years ago.
Johnson died in 1996. His granddaughter Sherry Cameron eventually became CEO.
The site will be converted into a parking lot for Gateway Community College.