Amici Italian Café franchisees Jonathan (Bob) Ewing and Jon Joiner were named Restaurateur of the Year by the Georgia Restaurant Association at a recent awards show. According to a news release, the two were lauded for beating the odds and starting their franchise during the economic downturn in 2009.

Ewing and Joiner started working at Amici as dishwashers and worked through the ranks to cook, server, bartender and manager while they were in college. They are now franchisees with three restaurants of their own located in Milledgeville, Lake Oconee and Macon.