Mr. G's, classic Paterson diner, has grand reopening, but not without conflict

PATERSON — More than 150 people gathered Friday outside Mr. G's, the classic New Jersey-style diner on 10th Avenue in Paterson, to celebrate the reopening of a restaurant once owned by a community icon, the late Russell Graddy.

In speech after speech, political leaders recalled the role that Graddy and his Mr. G’s restaurant played in Paterson’s social life over the decades.

“We cannot talk about the history of the great city of Paterson without saying his name,” said City Council President Alex Mendez.

Councilwoman Ruby Cotton recalled one of Graddy’s previous restaurant locations on Governor Street, where 40 years ago he cooked ribs outside on a big, brick barbecue.

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“It’s truly an honor for me to be here as a councilwoman to see Mr. G’s open again,” Cotton said.

Graddy died in 2021, and the restaurant shut down in 2022.

Not everyone was celebrating the reopening. The late business owner’s daughter, Lenise Graddy, has opposed the decision by the property’s new owner , Yaakoub Hijazi, to use the Mr. G’s name on the restaurant.

“Mr. G has died 1,000 times over the stealing of his name, the stealing of his legacy,” his daughter said Friday as the ceremony at the restaurant took place. “Anyone who knows about this theft and took part in this theft should be ashamed of themselves.”

Hijazi did not attend Friday’s festivities. His partner in the Mr. G’s venture, Vaughn McKoy, represented the businesses ownership.

During his speech, McKoy recalled his early years living in a Paterson housing project and then moving to an apartment building a block away from the diner — long before Graddy owned it. McKoy went on to become a high school and college football star, and then a lawyer and a prominent figure in Paterson’s civic circles.

Mr. G's: 'Not just a diner'

In speaking of Mr. G’s legacy, McKoy urged the crowd to chant the refrain “Not just a diner” at various times as he spoke of the restaurant.

“It’s a place of help, a place of healing and a place of hope,” McKoy said.

Graddy’s daughter has asserted that McKoy — who is African American — is being used as a front man to hide the fact that the diner’s new owner comes from a different cultural background.

Hijazi, who owns the Star Laundry nearby, bought the property for $800,000 in 2023 and has said he would invest another $1.2 million in renovating the building.

Neither McKoy nor Hijazi has revealed the details of their business arrangement for the diner. McKoy became upset before Friday’s ceremony when a reporter asked him the size of his investment in the diner.

“Is that important today?” McKoy responded. “Cover the day and don’t worry about what I own and what he owns.”

McKoy, who was Mayor Andre Sayegh’s first city business administrator, also runs the concession stand at reopened Hinchliffe Stadium and is looking to open a food court one floor below the new museum at the historic ballpark

During his speech, McKoy said Sayegh’s then-economic development director, Michael Powell, had contacted him last year about partnering with Hijazi in the Mr. G’s venture.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mr. G's, classic Paterson diner, has grand reopening, but not without conflict