The West Virginia Grill That Helped Shape Mr. Gaines — and Inspired A Different World’s Iconic Hangout

How a small HBCU hangout in Institute, WV influenced Lou Myers and the culture of one of Black TV’s most beloved shows

By Traci Phillips | Black By God: The West Virginian

Before Hillman College ever had its iconic Grill, there was Andy’s Grill in Institute, West Virginia.

When Netflix announced an A Different World reboot centered on the daughter of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne, excitement rippled across Black America. The series that helped define a generation is returning—bringing back the fashion, the humor, the music, and the HBCU pride that made Hillman College feel like home to millions of viewers. But as attention turns back to one of television’s most influential portrayals of Black college life, an important part of that history remains largely untold.

Long before Mr. Vernon Gaines became one of the most beloved characters on Black television, the spirit behind him was shaped by actor Lou Myers—a proud West Virginia native and West Virginia State University alum. And one of the places that helped shape that spirit was Andy’s Grill, a small Black-owned restaurant located just across from campus in Institute.

According to West Virginia State University alumni records and campus oral histories, Andy’s Grill was a regular gathering place for students during Myers’ time at the university. It was where students ate, laughed, argued, studied, and found a sense of belonging away from home. That influence carried forward when Myers later brought warmth, humor, and authenticity to the role of Mr. Gaines.

That legacy is still vivid for those who experienced it firsthand.

During West Virginia State University Homecoming, alum Ria Terrell reflected on what Andy’s Grill meant to the campus and surrounding community. She remembers founder Andrew “Mr. Andy” Johnson not just as a business owner, but as “a pillar and a beacon of light in the community”—someone whose presence made people feel welcomed, seen, and cared for.

Andy’s Grill first opened in 1957 when Andrew Johnson set up shop along Route 25, directly across from what was then West Virginia State College. Over time, the grill became far more than a restaurant. Students stopped by between classes. Alumni returned during homecoming weekends. Families gathered there after football games. Andy’s was the kind of place where people knew your name, your major, and exactly how you liked your food.

The menu became legendary: thick-cut hot bologna sandwiches, shrimp baskets, dipped chicken wings, ribs coated in a closely guarded barbecue sauce, and grilled honey buns that regulars still talk about decades later. But what truly set Andy’s apart wasn’t just the food. It was the atmosphere—the laughter, the teasing, the storytelling, and the quiet mentorship offered to young people navigating adulthood for the first time.

Like so many HBCU gathering places across the country, Andy’s Grill offered more than meals. It offered community. It was a place where students learned how to carry themselves, how to look out for one another, and how to feel at home. That sense of care and familiarity is what made Mr. Gaines resonate so deeply with audiences nationwide.

After more than four decades in operation, Andrew Johnson passed the grill to his son, Roy Johnson, who ran it until 2006. Eventually, the building came down and the sign disappeared. But the legacy never left.

Today, that responsibility belongs to Brandon Johnson, Andrew’s grandson and a third-generation keeper of the family recipes. There is no brick-and-mortar Andy’s Grill anymore, but the food—and the meaning behind it—lives on through social media orders, word of mouth, and the powerful network of WVSU alumni who never forgot what that place represented.

This isn’t a reinvention. It’s an inheritance.

As A Different World prepares to introduce a new generation to Hillman College, stories like Andy’s remind us that the show’s most powerful moments were rooted in real places and real people. Andy’s Grill wasn’t just inspiration—it was infrastructure for Black student life, helping shape the culture that eventually made its way onto television screens across the country.

You can reboot a show.
But you can’t reboot history. You honor it.

And in West Virginia, that history still tastes like barbecue sauce, hot bologna, and a grilled honey bun that could change your whole day.