H&O Restaurant

H&O Café
Cuisine	soul food
Location	301 East Gonzalez Street
Established	1942
Owner	Dorothy Grier

The H&O Café is a historic restaurant in the Eastside neighborhood, located at 301 East Gonzalez Street, at the corner of Hayne Street. One of the first black-owned restaurants in the Pensacola area, the H&O serves Southern-style soul food.

Its origins go back to the 1920s, when Hamp Lee and his brother opened a grocery and pool hall in a building on Gonzalez Street. They named the businesses H&O by combining the first names of their wives, Hattie and Ola. The location was popular among the pre-integration black community. In 1942, Givens Grier purchased the building and opened the restaurant. Grier's brother, Raymond Grier, bought the café in 1957. When he passed away in 2001, his wife Dorothy took over operations.

Over the years the restaurant has served a number of celebrity patrons, including civil rights activist Rosa Parks, Senator Bob Graham, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, boxing promoter Don King and local champion boxer Roy Jones, Jr.

The H&O is currently managed by Michael Grier (owner Dorothy Grier's son) and Chris Holmes. Grier announced that in September 2007, to celebrate the restaurant's 65th anniversary, they would roll back menu items to their original prices.

Hours of Operation

Prior to the late 1990s, H&O operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The restaurant remained open 24-hours on weekends until Hurricane Ivan struck in 2004. It is currently open 8 a.m. to 5 or 5:30 p.m. seven days a week.

References

• H&O Café - Pensacola News Journal, April 29, 2007
• Eastside Neighborhood Plan