Jonathan Interview

The Jonathan Club, founded, as we all know, in 1895, has been a Los Angeles landmark since the Town Club was built in 1925. Tradition and family are the words that best describe the Club and spirit. The same words could apply to Philippe’s, the restaurant opened in 1908. How many hundreds of their French Dip Sandwiches have we consumed through the years? Philippe’s celebrated its 90th anniversary last month, and did you know that Jonathan Binder’s family has owned and operated Philippe’s for 70 years?

“My grandfather and his brother bought it in 1927 from Philippe Mathieu for $5000. They were heading into the depression then and it wasn’t an easy time. The whole family had to pitch in,” said Binder. “As a child, I grew up in Alhambra, and I can remember using my skate board going down a big hill that led to a bus station, and on every Saturday and Sunday when I was in the eighth grade I worked alongside my grandfather. He started me in what I call the ‘sewer.’ I learned everything from the bottom up. One summer all I did was cut pies. Another summer I spent tying the meat.”

In 1951, John’s grandfather, Frank Martin, needed more help, and he asked John’s father, Bill Binder (married to Frank’s Daughter), to come work at Philippe’s. “My dad and my grandfather worked together for 16 years until my Grandpa retired at 85 and my father was 69. My dad was a brewmaster who worked for Miller in Milwaukee. I joined the business in 1969 after serving in the Marine Corps. Philippe’s actually has eight partners including my mother and her sisters and their children, but my brother and I are the two managing partners now.”

Long-standing relationships are a theme in the Binder family’s life. John Binder’s college roommates, Gary and Randy Nunnelly and Ron Corradinni, all became members of the Johnathan Club, and John Binder joined as a junior member in 1976. “I love the Club and it has been part of my life for years. Every Christmas my wife and I host a table of 14 at the Town Club. We love to go to Pops, and we’re regulars at all the Cinco de Mayo events and the Clambake,” Said Binder. “I love that guy Foxey during German Week. I can’t believe all that beer he drinks standing on his head. I also love the International Weeks and like to go the big Friday night event. My life has been so enhanced by the friends we’ve made at the Club.”

John Binder’s day begins very early when he makes the drive from his home in Huntington Harbor to arrive at Philippe’s at 3:30 a.m. “We really are a family business. My wife works upstairs in accounting, my son works for her, my brother and partner, Richard, does the business side of things, and I love to be out on the floor. If there’s a plumbing or electrical problem, I’ll fix it. If the beef needs turning or the gravy needs making, I’ll do it. We have 76 employees and are open every day of the year except Christmas and Thanksgiving. We serve about 1800 sandwiches a day and beef is our No, 1 seller, but lamb is a strong second. We go through 500 pounds of beef, 200 pounds of pork, and 40 legs of lamb and 12 turkey breasts.”

To take a tour around Philippe’s is an amazing experience. “Philippe’s is 78,000 square feet and this building used to be a hotel. The upstairs rooms have been broken through and enlarged to create eating areas that can be closed off for private parties,” explained Binder. The business offices are upstairs and they are gray, shiny and modern, completely in contrast to the rest of the building. The stock room has rolls and goodies stacked to the ceiling. “We make all our own cole slaw, macaroni salad, and potato salad ourselves. But we don’t make our own pies. We used one baking company for 30 years, but they shut their doors in the middle of our lunch a few years ago. You should have seen me running around town to buy pies,” said Binder. “I tasted so many trying to find the right ones. Now we use United Baking and they taste just like the originals.”

The Binder Family owns a great deal of the land around Philippe’s, including the parking lot and buildings across the street. “I love to watch the families and their children grow up here. It’s the same thing I enjoy about the club. I hope to turn one wall of the restaurant into a small museum area where we all can reflect on the important history,” Binder continued. He and his wife have four children. “One daughter is a nurse, another a secretary, one son is a diver, and my other son works here. We will go on forever.”.