Established in 1946

Johnny Matalich bought The New Deal in 1946 and changed the name to Johnny's Bar & Grill. Farmers and business men packed the place for the greasy cheese burgers and steaks at lunch time and afternoons were quite lively. The hard working farmers and cowboys loved the comradery they found at Johnny's and sixty five years and roughly ten owners later it still exists. In 1947 Wino Willie and his Boozefighter's came to Hollister for the Fourth of July Gypsy Tour Races.They cut loose in town after the races and one the guys drove through Johnny's on his motorcycle. They were a little rowdy but the mayhem that was depicted in the July 1947 issue of Life Magazine exaggerated the event. The article inspired the 1953 movie The Wild Ones with Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin. The Boozefighters have made it a point to come back to Johnny's for the fourth of July weekend ever since. I bought the bar in December  of 1995.  I've met a lot of great people and it's been a wild ride.