Photo by Mason Chambless
Skyway Jack’s, the classic family-owned diner in South St. Pete, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this October.
The beloved restaurant has been serving classic Americana-style diner staples since it originally opened in 1976. Founded by Navy veteran John “Jack” Thomas, many of the restaurant’s classic recipes trace their roots to Thomas’s time in the service. Nearly 50 years, one move and three ownership changes later, the recipes have remained relatively unchanged.
“I’ll put our sausage gravy up in any competition. I haven’t touched the recipe or anything,” said current owner Darren Forte. “I was always under the impression of, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’”
Beyond adding specials to keep up with trends and contemporary tastes — such as avocado toast and hot honey chicken and waffles — the heart of the menu has remained the same: classic American diner food.
Troubled Times
Location has been a recurring issue for Skyway Jack’s. Before settling on 34th Street, the diner sat beneath the original Skyway Bridge. After the bridge collapsed in 1980, the rebuilding project forced Skyway Jack’s to move to its current location.
More recently, since buying the diner in 2022, Forte said he has heard rumors that the property where Skyway Jack’s stands is being eyed for condominium development.
Forte, however, said he has no intention of selling Skyway Jack’s.
“I love it,” he said of owning the diner. “I have no intention of doing anything [with Skyway Jack’s] until I retire.”
Another challenge Forte faced came shortly after he took ownership of the restaurant in 2022.
A one-star Yelp review.
While acknowledging that it’s impossible to please everyone, Forte was perplexed that anyone would give the beloved diner a one-star review.
He said the staff he inherited are “always smiling, always happy… We’re just a big family.”
But upon reading the review, he was shocked by the reasoning behind the one-star rating: the toast wasn’t cut diagonally.
After unsuccessfully trying to remove the Yelp review, Forte’s wife told him he could either be grumpy about it or lean into it. He chose the latter.
Forte ordered 144 shirts featuring the review, all of which sold out within a week. He has continued to print the shirts to this day; staff and customers alike wear them. Before entering, patrons are greeted by a doormat featuring the review. The review also hangs from the dining room ceiling, printed on a rally towel among Forte’s multitude of Pittsburgh Steelers towels.
Photo by Mason Chambless
One Big Food Family
The food industry has a reputation for high staff turnover; however, Skyway Jack’s is an exception to that standard. A majority of the staff working at the restaurant predate Forte’s ownership. The grand prize for time served at the restaurant goes to Glenn, who has been cooking eggs in the back for 48 of the diner’s 50 years.
Even Darren wasn’t an outsider when he came to buy the business. Before buying Skyway Jack’s, he worked for food supplier US Foods, where the restaurant had been one of his oldest clients for 15 years. One of the diner’s previous owners even encouraged him to buy the business and run it himself.
Photo by Mason Chambless
A Modern, Classic Business
As the owner of a nearly 50-year-old business, Forte has heard many stories from people originally brought to Skyway Jack’s by their parents — or even their grandparents. Even so, he is still surprised by how many first-time customers walk through the door.
Word of mouth and consistency are the key ingredients that have allowed Skyway Jack’s to continue thriving after nearly 50 years in business.
Forte said there are plans to celebrate the diner’s 50th anniversary in October, the month in which the restaurant first opened; however, no events have yet been announced.
To keep up to date on Skyway Jack’s and upcoming events, visit skywayjacksstpete.com.
Skyway Jack’s, 2795 34th St. S., St. Petersburg. Daily, 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 727-867-1907.
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