

They then sold the restaurant on Keowee to focus on Kettering. Then in 2005, an overnight fire destroyed decades of work, but the Thomas family rebuilt on the very same spot. When his grandfather passed away, John’s aunts took over the restaurants. The family eventually sold their restaurant on Salem Ave. He said his first job was at the Golden Nugget. “I always felt like the most important person in the world because I was beside him,” said John. John Thomas, one of their grandchildren, has wonderful memories of the time he spent sitting in the restaurant’s corner booth with his grandfather.

Over the years, the Thomas family opened two more Golden Nuggets, one on Salem Avenue and the other on Keowee Street. Steve Thomas, Rob Lowe Actor Rob Lowe, center, with owner Steve Thomas.
