Hundreds celebrate 100th anniversary of Joe Jost’s, the beloved Long Beach tavern

Joe Jost’s was packed all day Saturday as loving, longtime customers flowed in and out, shared memories and celebrated the iconic Long Beach tavern’s 100th anniversary.

The landmark tavern, located at 2803 E. Anaheim St., celebrated its centennial on Saturday, Aug. 10, with a celebration that brought in hundreds of customers from across the city, state and country to conclude a week of special events.

In 1924, Joe Jost moved to Long Beach and opened the tavern, which at the time served customers as a combination barber shop, pool hall and poker emporium, according to its website. It remains a family-owned and operated business which many dedicated customers say they admire and appreciate.

On Saturday, Joe Jost’s was packed with with people drinking, eating “Joe’s Special” sandwiches and pickled eggs, chatting with friends and family who have frequented the tavern for generations. Many people donned their world famous Joe Jost’s t-shirts.

The familar tavern’s walls are lined with dozens of photos of local sports teams and customers wearing Joe Jost’s shirts, as well as posters and signs.

“It’s been great,” Ken Buck, the owner and grandson of the founder Joe Jost, said Saturday afternoon. “I’m getting to see people that I haven’t seen in a while and all the appreciation from customers for what we do has been great.”

The 100th anniversary celebration was a ticketed event and only ticket holders were allowed in on Saturday. Groups of 125 each would be let in each hour, which started at 10 a.m. and would go until 5 p.m. Many attendees started getting in line for the tavern about an hour before their allotted time to go in.

The first two people in line to celebrate were Huntington Beach residents Mitchell and Stacy Wade. They knew that the line would be long so they wanted to get there early and were in line at 9 a.m. and were first to go into the tavern when it opened at 10 a.m.

The couple said they spent a lot of time in their early years at Joe Jost’s. They met at Cal State Long Beach and graduated in the 70’s.

“We love Joe Jost’s,” Stacey said.

Attendees could sit anywhere to enjoy their food and drinks – at the bar, in the old initial-engraved booths, or in the back at the pool tables set up with chairs and table cloths. At one booth Long Beach resident Peggy Parish sat with her family that had attended Joe Jost’s for generations.

“It’s really a thrill,” Parish said. “We just love Joe Jost’s, and I think today is so well done and it’s just always so great to be here, so many memories.”

A memory for Eric Rummel, who came from Colorado with his father Curt, was celebrating his 21st birthday at the tavern.

Curt Rummel became a fan of Joe Jost’s since he attended Long Beach State  almost 60 years ago, he said, so it means a lot to the family.

“It’s a great family business and they treat customers right,” said Eric Rummel, “that’s why we keep coming back. They do a lot for the community too.”

Proceeds from the day went to the Long Beach Century Club, which supports amateur athletes in the city from middle schools, high schools and colleges, and also helped organize the celebration.

In honor of the 100th anniversary, the tavern also donated proceeds from each day’s business throughout the week to different local nonprofits, Buck said.

Joe Jost’s televisions did not have their usual sports games on, instead there was a slideshow that showcased family photos, and photos from customers and staff throughout the years. It also had clips from movies that were filmed at the taverns, such as “License to Wed” and “Gone in 60 Seconds.”

“People have a personal experience with Joe’s,” Ken said. “Their grandparents came in, their parents came in, they come in and now their kids are coming.”

When it was time for a group of customers to go, Buck would come from the front of the bar and walk to the back playing a xylophone and people would make their way to the back where they were given a historic token. People could also buy a 100th anniversary T-Shirt to commemorate the day.

People would share their gratitude and congratulations to Buck and other organizers as they made their way throughout the iconic tavern.

“We’re just going to keep doing the same thing that we’re doing now,” Buck said about the years to come for Joe Jost’s. “It seems to have worked.”

Columnist Rich Archbold contributed to this article.