At the JBJ Soul Kitchen, anyone can eat a full meal regardless of whether they have money to pay for it.
The restaurant, run by Dorothea Bongiovi, the wife of rock star Jon Bon Jovi, operates four locations across New Jersey where guests can either make a suggested donation of $20 to $30 or pay with their time by volunteering.
The model allows patrons to work as servers, dishwashers or in other roles to earn their meals. But Bongiovi emphasizes the approach isn’t charity.
“Ours is a model of empowerment,” Bongiovi said. “We’re not here to make somebody feel like, ‘Oh, I’m giving this to you.’ You have earned it.”
The restaurants, which first opened in 2011, go beyond just serving meals. Staff members like hostess Nicole Dorrity provide community outreach, helping patrons secure housing, mental healthcare and a state ID.
“I came out of homelessness in 2017. So because of my lived experience, I’m able to kind of inherently know some of the barriers somebody might be up against,” Dorrity said.
The Bongiovis protect the privacy of those who volunteer for meals rather than pay with money.
“I would never wanna exploit someone’s circumstances,” Bongiovi said when asked about interviewing volunteer diners.
The restaurants have faced some criticism. The mayor of Toms River complained that a temporary lunch program at a local library was attracting unhoused people to the area.
“We did a pop-up in a library. We’re giving folks lunch. That’s all it is. Soup, salad, sandwiches, easy stuff,” Bon Jovi said.
Despite any controversy, the restaurants have earned recognition for food quality. They hold the highest ratings on TripAdvisor in two of the towns where they operate and made the platform’s “Best of the Best” list in 2023, placing them in the top 1% of reviewed businesses nationwide.
Volunteer dishwasher Hugh Daly finds joy in his unpaid work at the restaurant.
“It is the best part of my day,” Daly said. “I walk in and there’s a big stack of dirty pots and pans, and I’m happy.”
The success stems partly from classically trained chefs like Emily Yasi, who said the celebrity owners stay involved behind the scenes.
“This past weekend I saw Jon on the ring camera coming and was just weeding and sweeping the walkways,” Yasi said. “They do it all, all behind the scenes, too.”
For Jon Bon Jovi, the restaurants represent a homecoming after decades of global touring.
When asked which of his songs best describes the restaurants, he chose “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.”
“I mean, I’ve been everywhere there is to be, and all you wanted is to do is come back to where you’re from and be a part of that,” he said.
