‘Smiles, nothing but smiles.’ How 3 friends reopened Luke’s Pub in Harris County

In March 2023, Bobby Noland made a painful decision to close Luke’s Pub and Steakhouse in Ellerslie after the building needed substantial repairs.

The restaurant needed a new septic system, which would cost Noland about $130,000.

“I’d been renting that building for 25 years,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I bought it. Two years later, this happens.”

After the closure, Noland found it difficult to go anywhere without a dozen people asking what was going on with the restaurant that had become a Harris County institution.

Then, when longtime friend Jeff Johnpeer asked Noland whether he would reopen Luke’s Pub, Noland resoundingly said no. He didn’t understand what Johnpeer was asking him.

Johnpeer wanted to partner with Noland to bring back Luke’s Pub.

“As soon as I realized that was his intent,” Noland said, “it changed everything.”

Jeff and Katrina Johnpeer are partnering with Noland to reopen Luke’s Pub at 14661 GA-18 in Pine Mountain on May 22. They plan to potentially reopen the Ellerslie location later this year.

‘It’s an institution’

The Johnpeers already were looking to invest in something, Jeff told the Ledger-Enquirer, and helping to reopen Luke’s Pub made the most sense.

“It’s an institution in Harris County, in the area,” he said. “It’s pretty much the only restaurant that you can go to.”

Jeff, Katrina and Noland have been friends for around 35 years. They also are neighbors, which is an added bonus, Jeff said.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together,” he said. “And to see (Noland) go through what he had to go through in the closing of the other restaurant was emotional for all of us.”

It took a little coaxing to get Noland to agree with reopening Luke’s Pub, Katrina said.

“The other (restaurant) beat me up pretty good,” Noland said. “And I didn’t get much help.”

But he looks forward to working with Katrina and Jeff along with some experienced employees to help run the restaurant.

Opportunity in Pine Mountain

Pine Mountain offered an opportunity to capitalize on tourists visiting the area and its proximity to Callaway Gardens, Jeff said.

The building, which is the location of former restaurants named Crickets and then Tidbits, works well because it already had been established, he said.

“We just love the history of the area with Callaway and Chipley,” Jeff said.

After closing the restaurant in Ellerslie, Noland started the food truck Luke’s on the Run in September 2023.

He plans to continue running the food truck, and the group expects to also have the two restaurants open within the year.

Along with capitalizing on events at Callaway Gardens, the group also expects to draw business from north of Pine Mountain. They want to court business from LaGrange and Newnan to join their following in Harris and Muscogee Counties.

“We’re probably right in the middle between Columbus and LaGrange,” Jeff said. “You’re looking at 20 or 25 minutes either way. … If people like to eat, they don’t mind traveling.”

The menu generally has remained the same as the original menu in Ellerslie, Noland said.

One sirloin steak deal that was on the original menu no longer will be a regular, he said, but it still will be offered as a special Wednesday nights. They have added four pork dishes that he recommends customers try.

Drinks also have changed. Before, Luke’s Pub offered only beer and wine. Now, they will offer beer, wine and liquor.

“But we still want to be family-oriented,” Noland said. “We’re all about being able to bring your kids in here and feeling safe and having a good time with the whole family.”

Not just about the food

Eating a meal isn’t the sole reason people made Luke’s Pub an institution, Jeff said. It’s a gathering, he said.

“People will get up from their table,” he said. “They don’t just stop by and say ‘hello’ to someone. They will carry on conversations. They may not go back to their table for 20 or 30 minutes.”

This is an experience not easily found in other places, Jeff said.

Luke’s Pub was first opened around 1986 by Jerry “Luke” Hall, Noland said. One day, Noland was in the restaurant when Hall mentioned that it was for sale. Noland called his father, and the two took over the business two weeks later in 1996.

“I’ve never seen my dad jump on anything so fast,” Noland said.

When Noland and the Johnpeers announced the restaurant’s return on social media, they were surprised by the swift response from the community.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Katrina said. “Hopefully, it’s going to be a great turnout, and hopefully we are very prepared.”

Outside of social media, community members who live as far as an hour away have shared their excitement with Noland about the return of Luke’s Pub, he said.

Following the heartbreak of closing the restaurant, this response from the community has uplifted his spirits, Noland said.

“Smiles,” he said. “Nothing but smiles.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM.

Brittany McGee

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Brittany McGee is the community issues reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism with a second degree in Economics. She began at the Ledger-Enquirer as a Report for America corps member covering the COVID-19 recovery in Columbus. Brittany also covered business for the Ledger-Enquirer.