Goff's Hamburgers Reopens 2 Years After Fire With Same Employees
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A University Park institution is sizzling again.
Loyal customers of all ages say their mouths are watering again now that Goff's Hamburgers has reopened near SMU.
"I told my husband and we told everybody we knew that Goff's was open again. We've been ordering hamburgers and hot dogs here since the late 1960's. I love it, I'll come back once a week," said Carol Pickett.
Zoe Durham, a high school student said, "We were all pretty sad, especially because my Dad grew up in Highland Park as well and he grew up going to Goff's."
Owner Jim Francis said he posted the news on Facebook Friday, April 13, and the customers responded the next day. "We opened the door, and for three hours, the line was from the register to the door. We had an incredible outpouring of support, it was great."
Francis said firefighters couldn't determine what caused the fire.
He said it took this long to reopen because he was trying to find the right location in University Park, and to convert the space into a restaurant.
Goff's is now located in the shopping center owned by SMU along Mockingbird, just west of Central Expressway.
Francis said, "It's something to be proud of and something to be excited about that many people love you."
But here's the scoop: customer loyalty is only half the story.
Francis said all of his employees from his old store are still here nearly two years later. "I paid them out of my pocket."
He said it was important for him to pay them all this time even though the restaurant wasn't open.
They helped him with the catering business. "Goff's is family and when the fire happened, my first thought was, how do I take care of everybody? So we figured it out", Francis said.
Jerry Oviedo is the manager, and has been here for 13 years. "I was worried when I saw the fire, but he told me don't worry, don't worry, he told me he'd pay me until we reopen. I was surprised, but very happy."
Oviedo said they couldn't wait to reopen. "We were really excited, we were waiting for a long time."
Francis told us, "It was the right thing to do."
The Gough family opened Goff's in 1950 on Lover's Lane, before moving to Hillcrest.
Francis bought the restaurant in 2004.
While generations of SMU students have loved the place, there may be no bigger fan than perhaps the most well-known graduate: former First Lady Laura Bush.
Francis said she helped hang all of the photos around the new restaurant.
To prove it, he snapped a picture of her doing it, framed it, and hung it. "I jokingly told her I bet I'm the only hamburger joint in town that has the First Lady hanging photos and she said, 'Jimmie, I think it's the world', and I said I know. It was very kind of her. She's a great friend of Goff's."