Jon Bon Jovi Opens Charity Restaurant
Jon Bon Jovi has opened a new “pay-what-you-can” restaurant in Red Bank, New Jersey intended to encourage volunteer work in the area. The JBJ Soul Kitchen, an establishment specializing in healthy variations on classic soul food dishes, will not have prices on its menu. Instead, diners can either earn free meals by doing volunteer work in the community or pay a suggested donation.
The restaurant, which was founded by Bon Jovi‘s JBJ Soul Foundation, has been serving meals since 2009, but is opening this new, permanent location in an 1100-square-foot space that used to be an auto body shop.
Photos: Bon Jovi Live in New Jersey
In an interview with New York Magazine‘s Grub Street blog, Bon Jovi clarified that the JBJ Soul Kitchen won’t be a “tray service-type of soul kitchen.” “Picture the coolest brasserie in your hometown, that’s what this is,” says the rocker. “It’s the hottest-looking restaurant in this town. We have to get rid of a few stigmas attached to the word volunteering and making a difference.”