BUENA VISTA, Va. – JJ’s Meat Shak all started as a dream.
According to Kendra Hamilton, “Our son, Jacob, showed an interest in the restaurant business when he was in high school.”
It started out pretty simple.
“We started in a small, red concession trailer right in this lot.”
Over the years, this Buena Vista gem has flourished into a work of art, thanks to the hard work and craftsmanship of Lew Hamilton.
“We sawed the timbers ourselves. All the rock came from our property.”
It’s the epitome of building something from the ground up…all with the hope to give people great food, a great atmosphere and a place to unwind after the day.
Just like their storefront, their menu has grown tremendously in less than 10 years.
Lew tells us, “We started with smoking meats.”
With enough vision and a team stacked with all-stars like Chris, whose laugh is infectious, and like Granny, whose collared greens are out of this world, the crew at JJ’s makes some other great foods on a daily basis.
They showed us their craft burgers, wood-fired pizza and prime rib, but they also offer seafood at times along with juicy steaks. Now, in just a short amount of time, it’s a destination joint.
“We’re honored to have people that will travel three hours away on a motorcycle just to come here.”
The best is yet to come, as the Hamilton’s plan to build a new walk bridge to connect their two buildings. They’ll have live entertainment as well. Born and bred in Rockbridge County, the family says that it goes way beyond just their incredible food.
Kendra says, “We’re proud of our small town. We’re proud of our county. We’re proud of our country. I mean that’s just who we are.”
We’re proud that, for even just one day, witness how hard work looks on a platter and why they were also named the third-best place in our area to get wings in our most recent Top-10 poll.
In an effort to give back to the community that’s given so much, JJ’s has helped put $10,000 back into the school system since this fall through their concessions with Parry McCluer.