1948: George Najour, 27, moves from his job as a recreation director at state-owned Jekyl Island. Now in Atlanta, he helps run a business in East Point called George's Glass Bar.

1959~1960: East Point bans beer sales.

1961: 1041 North Highland Ave. becomes George's Delicatessen. It started as a deli in the front half of the store, and became a bar that sells beer and sandwiches in the back.

1961-1982: as quoted from an article from a bar calendar in October of 1980:
"George floats between the two in the uninterrupted space behind the counters and the bar, now selling a sack of imported groceries, now drawing a beer. Najour says the bar and the deli each account for about half of his business, so they deserve an equal share of his time."

"But it is the bar that attracts a crowd of neighborhood regulars, sport fans, newspaper types, and the occasional politician looking for votes, advice, or attention. There's nothing special about it, except that it's pinball machines are fast, the conversation is usually interesting, and the balcony offers an out of the way spot for a tete-a-tete if one doesn't mind bumping into the bumper pool players."

" At one end of the bar are Najour's baseball trophies, accumulated beginning with his Army service during World War II. When he was discharged in 1946, at 26 years old, Najour was drafted by the Dodgers. He played third base and second base. Even so, he was having a good year with the class D Newnan Browns of the Georgia-Alabama league until he broke his ankle. Later, as an amateur, he played on four city championship teams in nine years.
Sports, as shown on the large television at the end of the bar and discussed on the barstools and in the booths, plays its usual part in making George's what Najour calls, "just a family bar, where most people feel they can come and not be bothered by bums and pests."

"Occasionally, arguments over remembered scores or perceived greatness verge on violence: the same is true of political discussions. When that happens, which is seldom, decorum is maintained by George, is wife Mary, or Sammy, who recently retired at 62 but still works part time.
Sammy's retirement in January of 1978 occasioned the largest crowd in George's memory. The band stopped playing long enough for a city councilman to read a proclamation from the mayor. Nobody else stopped at all. Sammy was so impressed by it all that he was back at work the next day.

1983: With help from son, G.G. Najour, George's installs a kitchen in the rear of the building, creating a limited menu that did indeed include the George's burger, as well as some appetizers, salads, and other items. Thus began a new era, and creating a need to use the name, "George's Bar & Restaurant" on the front window.

On May 11, 2006, George's was honored to raise money for the Vince & Barbara Dooley Scholarship Fund for Deserving Children. We were proud to have the former National Championship Coach for the University of Georgia sign autographs and take pictures for his charity.

George Najour, seen here in 1943, was the player captain for Atlanta Ordinance Depot - which won The National Amateur (semi-pro) Championship.

Over the years, George's has seen numerous celebrities dine with us, from athletes, to politicians, to soap opera stars. These are some of the name plates you might see on the tables:

Football:

Vince Dooley - University of Georgia, Coach for 25 Years

Gerald Riggs - Falcon and Washington, Redskins Runningback

Bill Fralic - Falcons All-Pro Lineman

Dave Butts - Washington Redskins

Baseball:

Mickey Mantle - N.Y. Yankees Hall of Famer

Eddie Matthews - ATL Braves Hall of Famer

Andrew Jones - ATL Braves 8 Time Golden Glove Award

Basketball:

Jason Collier - ATL Hawks

Luke Schenscher - Chicago Bulls

Joe Barry Carroll - Golden State Warriors

Tennis:

Billy Jean King - Multiple Grand Slam Winner

Kelly Evernden - New Zealand Tennis Star

T.J. Middleton - 2004 Wimbledon Seniors, Doubles Champion

Golf:

Larry Mize - 1987 Masters Champion

Mark O'Meara - 1998 Masters & British Open Champion

Hollis Stacy - Winner of Four Major Championships

Mary Beth Zimmerman - Winner of Four Major Championships

Fim + Television + Music:

Norm Abram

Justin Timberlake

Ty Pennington

Abigail Breslin

Heather Tom

Johnny Cash

John Cassavetes

Ben Jones

Jasmine Guy

Janelle Monae

Idris Elba

Nick Offerman

Roy Underhill

Politics:

President Jimmy Carter

Hamilton Jordan

Maynard Jackson