The story of Hopkins Eatery goes back many years but our family’s story with Hopkins starts in 1982 with a single mother of four and a dream of serving her friends and neighbors delicious and fresh food.
Martha “Dee Dee” Johnston, after a recent divorce heard that one of her restaurants was up for sale. She loved the idea of owning a lunch spot she frequented and saw it as a great opportunity to further the lives and prospects of her and her daughters.
She purchased Hopkins in 1982 and immediately set to upping the quality and bettering the restaurant she already loved. She involved herself in every detail in the kitchen, from hand chopping vegetables to cooking soup. Her hard work seemed to be paying off as the business began to boom. Working with her daughters over the years, they expanded the business while making sure each customer was treated like family. And thanks to her culinary skills and dedication, soon Hopkins’ would be transformed into a thriving gourmet sandwich shoppe and gathering place for friends, family, and business associates.
In July of 2022, 40 years after her journey began, Dee Dee passed away at the age of 80 however her legacy would live on. All of her daughters have worked at hopkins at one time or another but the next generation to carry on her tradition was Debbie and Jennifer, along with long-time family partner Steve. All of whom have worked at Hopkins for most of their lives. Through the years, we have served multiple generations of members of our community and it has been an amazing journey. Our dedicated followers continue to know us as a hub for delicious lunch and homemade dessert. We are thankful for every one of the forty-two years that we have been able to serve and be apart of this community and look forward to the next forty-two years! Thank you Tallahassee!!!
