Jon Bon Jovi's Charity Restaurant Opens
Jon Bon Jovi's latest restaurant with the JBJ Soul Foundation is now open in Red Bank. The restaurant, called "Soul Kitchen," runs somewhat like a soup kitchen. The menu doesn't have prices; if you can't donate cash, you can volunteer instead.
Details according to the web site: "Our vision here at Soul Kitchen is to serve healthy, delicious, and when possible, organic meals. At the Soul Kitchen you will notice there are no prices on the menu and you might have been seated with someone you don't know. Customers pay the minimum donation or volunteer in some way to earn a voucher for a meal."
But according to Bon Jovi, it's nothing like a charity soup kitchen. "Picture the coolest brasserie in your hometown, that's what this is. It's the hottest-looking restaurant in this town," Bon Jovi told Grub Street earlier.
They've been doing this schtick since 2009, but this is their first permanent location — a 1,100-square-foot former auto-body shop. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your take) you won't have any of the rocker's cooking.
"I'm an expert at washing dishes, but I can cook less than zero," he said to Grub Street. "I'm the perfect dinner guest, however, because I'll bring a great bottle of wine and clean up for you afterwards."
The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.