Littlejohn’s Is Returning to the Corner. Meet the Former UVA Athlete Behind It All

After a hiatus of more than three years, Littlejohn’s is reopening at its old Corner location – 1427 University Avenue – with Smyth as its co-owner. 

“I want to be faithful to the old sandwiches and the old subs,” Smyth said, “and bring back things that everybody remembers and has nostalgic feelings about.”

No date has been set for the official reopening, but Smyth, a 1994 UVA graduate, is determined to make it happen this spring semester. He wants current fourth-year students to taste a tradition he believes they’ve been deprived of since Littlejohn’s, under previous ownership, closed its doors in August 2020, citing reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want that class to get back there and to be able to tell the third-years, the second-years and the first-years what to get,” Smyth said. “Which sandwiches are their favorites? That connection’s important to me, so opening this semester is going to be a high priority.”

Smyth left UVA in 2005 to become the head swimming and diving coach at Boston University. He stayed in that role for 18 years before retiring last winter and eventually returning to the Charlottesville area. 

Once back in Virginia, longtime friend Dain North, a veteran of the local restaurant industry, approached him about the opportunity to help Littlejohn’s make a comeback.

“He has a restaurant group in town and asked me if I’d be interested in hearing some information about potentially bringing back Littlejohn’s,” Smyth said. “It didn’t take too much time before I bought into it and decided I wanted to make this work with a good capital investment.”

Smyth, who holds a psychology degree from the University and admits to having limited knowledge when it comes to running a restaurant, has enjoyed learning from North and fellow co-owner Stefan Friedman over the last several months. 

The trio is now leading the charge to complete a number of steps necessary before the reopening.

“We’re just in the phase of construction right now and trying to update and do repairs all across the board, as well as a little bit of an interior redesign,” Smyth said. “But we’ve been focused on so many different things at this point, from menu design to the woodwork to carpentry. It’s all over the place right now, but I’m hoping that over the next couple of months, we should be ready to go.”

Littlejohn’s logos returned to the location’s windows earlier this month, triggering a barrage of enthusiasm within the comments section of the deli’s new Instagram page and other social media spaces. 

 

 

 

 

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“I think the first expression I generally felt was shock,” Smyth said of the reaction, “and I expected that. And then excitement after that. There’s a lot of people who are very happy for not just me, but the community as a whole.”

That community will be delighted to know that Smyth’s version of the Littlejohn’s menu will be authentic to the one many came to know and love. Along with the Nuclear, Smyth said there are plans to bring back other fan favorites such as the Five Easy Pieces, the Wild Turkey, the Chris Long and the Sampson.

“I won’t give away the whole menu,” he said. “That’s going to be a trade secret for now.”

Long, a former star UVA football player who grew up in Charlottesville and now lives here after an 11-year NFL career, counts himself among the many locals thrilled for the return of what he calls an “institution” of his hometown. 

He said he looks forward to again having the option of devouring the Littlejohn’s sub created in his honor – the Chris Long is a combination of shaved rib-eye steak, horseradish mayo, lettuce, tomato, sweet peppers, bacon, sautéed onions and melted provolone cheese – at all hours of the day. 

“I've been told the Chris Long sub is even better after midnight,” Long said.