Justin Milliken, co-owner and franchisee of Grumpy’s Restaurant’s St. Johns location in Florida, was found dead at the restaurant on Wednesday morning, September 9, 2026, leaving his family, employees and the surrounding community mourning a businessman who had helped establish the local diner nearly five years earlier.
Deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office responded to the restaurant at 155 Fountains Way in St. Johns County, where Milliken was found dead. First Coast News reported, citing a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, that deputies had responded to a reported suicide. Separate local reporting said there was no indication of foul play.
No detailed investigative findings or medical examiner report had been publicly released in the initial reports. Authorities also had not announced a motive or provided additional information explaining the circumstances leading up to Milliken’s death.
Grumpy’s says its priority is Milliken’s family and staff
Grumpy’s Restaurant Company President and CEO Daniel DeLeon said the company was deeply saddened by Milliken’s death and expressed support for his family, Leah, the St. Johns restaurant team and everyone affected by the loss.
The company declined to discuss the circumstances surrounding his death, citing respect for the family and the fact that authorities were handling the matter. Grumpy’s said the St. Johns restaurant would remain closed Wednesday before reopening Thursday during normal business hours.
The official Grumpy’s Restaurant website lists the St. Johns location at 155 Fountains Way, Suite 1, with regular operating hours of 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Justin and Leah Milliken opened the location in 2021
Justin and Leah Milliken became Grumpy’s franchisees in 2020 as the Northeast Florida restaurant company expanded beyond its original Orange Park operation.
Their St. Johns restaurant opened at The Fountains at St. Johns in August 2021. It became the chain’s third Jacksonville-area location after Orange Park and Middleburg and was expected to create more than 40 jobs.
At the time, Leah Milliken described Grumpy’s as a favorite restaurant for their family and said the couple wanted to build a gathering place where local families and friends could spend time together over diner-style food.
The location developed around breakfast, lunch and brunch service, with American and Southern-style dishes forming much of the menu. Milliken’s role in bringing the business to the area made his death especially significant for employees and regular customers who had known the restaurant since its opening.
Other recent Florida cases have similarly drawn attention when families and communities have had to wait for official findings after sudden deaths. In a separate and unrelated incident, a South Florida family of four was found dead after their plane disappeared near the Bahamas.
Recent social posts showed Milliken with staff and family life
Local reporting noted that Milliken remained publicly connected with the St. Johns restaurant shortly before his death. A photograph posted to his Facebook page on August 30 showed him with members of the restaurant staff and included a message praising the front-of-house team.
On Tuesday, one day before he was found dead, Milliken also shared a selfie showing him smiling in front of a pool.
Those posts provide part of the recent public timeline but do not establish anything about his state of mind or the circumstances surrounding his death. Authorities had not publicly linked either post to their investigation.
Community service shaped the restaurant’s local reputation
The Millikens were attracted to a restaurant company that had developed a visible community-service profile in Northeast Florida.
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grumpy’s founder Daniel DeLeon gave up his salary to help keep employees paid while restaurant operators faced severe restrictions. The company also provided meals to hospital workers, firefighters, police officers and grocery-store employees.
That community-centered approach was part of the broader background behind Justin and Leah Milliken joining the franchise. Before the St. Johns restaurant officially opened, charitable soft-opening events also supported Nease High School and the First Coast YMCA.
The restaurant therefore became more than another commercial location. It contributed local jobs and became part of the surrounding community’s breakfast and lunch routine.
Milliken had a long career before entering the restaurant business
Before becoming involved with Grumpy’s, Milliken worked for more than two decades in medical-device sales and management, according to information from his LinkedIn profile cited by local reporting.
His profile also stated that he served four years on active duty as a U.S. Army officer from 1997 to 2001 and attained the rank of captain. It listed roles including Special Operations Medical Officer with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and a medical intelligence and bioweapons position with the 1st Ranger Battalion.
The outlet that reported those details said it had not independently verified his military service, so the information should be understood as coming from Milliken’s professional profile rather than separately confirmed military records.
His profile also said he earned an online executive MBA from Cornell University. Milliken publicly described himself as a father, adding a personal dimension to the loss for his family and the community around the restaurant.
A separate Florida case recently highlighted the importance of waiting for official findings before drawing conclusions, when prosecutors decided that a woman who fatally shot an Army veteran in a Walmart parking lot would not face charges after reviewing evidence in the case.
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Official findings remain limited
As of the latest available reports, authorities had not released additional findings that changed the initial account of Milliken’s death. No foul play had been reported, and the restaurant company said it would not comment further on the circumstances while the matter was being handled by authorities.
That makes it important to separate confirmed information from online speculation. Milliken’s social-media posts, professional history and personal circumstances should not be used to infer a motive without evidence from investigators, medical authorities or his family.
Anyone in the United States experiencing suicidal thoughts, emotional distress or a mental-health crisis can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free and confidential support 24 hours a day.
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