When Jody Thornton was looking for a way to showcase his brewery, he visited major cities like Washington, Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee.
The result was JBGB, which opened in May on Steele Boulevard in Fayetteville. The 13,000-SF facility includes corporate offices for Thornton’s restaurant empire, a brewery, restaurant and bar and an outdoor stage for musical acts. It also has volleyball and other outdoor activities.
The one-stop entertainment destination is new to northwest Arkansas, but the idea is common in larger cities. Thornton, who owns seven JJ’s Grills in northwest Arkansas, was looking to build an iconic home base for his franchise when he paid more than $900,000 for the 1.4-acre lot in January 2016.
“We just wanted to have a flagship for all the JJ’s that we have and the brewery,” Thornton said. “Going around the country and looking at the things I thought northwest Arkansas needed, we just kind of pieced together things that ended up in this spot. The purpose is to build community, have people hang out, get to know each other, play games together and eat together. We thought that a multiuse facility was a way to achieve that best and showcase what we’re doing.”
When Woodie Adams researched things to do with his The Grove Comedy Club in Lowell, he didn’t have to travel as far as Thornton. Adams modeled the club in part after JBGB and George’s Majestic Lounge in downtown Fayetteville. The club, much like JBGB, will have an outdoor music stage and games, an indoor bar and restaurant and an indoor comedy stage.
The Grove is set to open in early April, Adams said, giving northwest Arkansas residents another entertainment venue more accessible to Benton County.
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“What I looked at is, owning just a local restaurant and having to compete with so many chains because the population of northwest Arkansas brings in a lot of chain restaurants,” Adams said. “It’s extremely hard for a local restaurant to compete these days. People like consistency and I understand that. To have a great product and a great bar, it just doesn’t satisfy what the millennials and the people from New York and California [and the vendor community] are used to … .
“With JBGB and ourselves, what we have learned is, if we can provide good entertainment and something for adults and also for families, then it will just complement everything else that we’re doing.”
Growing Pains
One attraction Adams has at The Grove is the food of Chef Michael Kuefner, a German-born expert butcher who spent years as an instructor in the culinary school at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.
In January, discussing his new position after leaving teaching, Kuefner told Arkansas Business that The Grove, with all its amenities, was like “JBGB on steroids.” It’s a remark that has been passed along to Thornton.
“It doesn’t take long in the restaurant industry for people to copy what you’re doing,” Thornton said.
Thornton JBGB’s first year was a success despite some growing pains. He said he learned that many of the guests at JBGB came with the expectation it would be similar to going to a JJ’s Grill.
Instead, the smaller menu had more upscale items, such as filet.
“We’ve had some bumps in the road with learning experiences,” Thornton said. “Going into our second summer here, we feel like we’re really prepared to have a great season. [The menu] was probably a little bit fancier than people anticipated, considering we have JJ’s. They wanted more of a tie-in with JJ’s with some cross items.”
Thornton sees JBGB’s key attraction as the on-site brewery, which produces a variety of craft beers. But he says many of his patrons don’t even realize that the brewery is a part of the venue because of all the other amenities; he said he added a happy hour at JBGB just to remind folks about the brewery.
“With us, even with the brewery, we’re not necessarily looked at as a brewery here,” Thornton said. “There are people who have been here 10 times and don’t know we brew our own beer because they sit outside and have never walked through the door, looked over there or cared. They think our title is JBGB; they don’t know it’s an acronym for J.J.’s Beer Garden & Brewing. We are a brewery and we’re very proud of our beer. That’s a major part of who we are and why we built this place.”
Leap of Faith
Adams got into the restaurant after making his money as the founder of Vendor Consulting Group, which works with vendors doing business with Walmart Inc. of Bentonville. Adams said he was always interested and has owned various restaurants for nearly a decade.
“It has been a hobby of mine for 25 years,” Adams said. “I turned my avocation into an occupation.”
Adams said jumping into the business, especially with a monumental enterprise like The Grove or JBGB, is a huge investment. “This is a great place to live, work and raise a family, and it’s fun here,” Adams said. “What we’re trying to do is share that fun, so we’re building a place where people can come enjoy themselves.”
Thornton said he heard some questions when he decided to make his big move to build JBGB. He said he has been validated by first-year revenue that surpasses what he had projected.
“[People asked], ‘How big were your balls to roll out millions of dollars rolling the dice on this thing?’” Thornton said. “Because we didn’t need to because we had JJ’s and it was and is doing great. We thought the community needed it and could handle it.
“That’s definitely what we were trying to bring, to be the innovators of things like that that could really transform the community.”
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