History

Like most meaningful creations, J.W. Hall's started out as a dream. Long before it became a reality, Joe Hall knew that he would someday open up his own restaurant. After managing more than 15 restaurants during a period of almost 20 years, Joe Hall decided that it was time.
When the family met to discuss the issue, all were supportive--but nervous. The Hall children asked questions like, "If this restaurant bombs, are we going to have to move? Are we going to be able to go to college?" There was no getting around the fact that it was an extremely risky move. Opening a new restaurant meant quitting a safe and dependable job and borrowing a lot of money. This money would need to be paid back whether or not the restaurant succeeded, and the vast majority of new restaurants fail before the end of their first year.

But they all knew that time and time again he had turned unsuccessful restaurants into successful ones. And Louise Hall, his wife, agreed that there are few meaningful rewards in life that require no risk. There are some things in life worth the risk, and they decided that this was one of them.

In 1981, Joe Hall quit his job as District Manager of the Red Bull Inn restaurant chain and bought a small tavern in the Hopewell Shopping Center named The Fireside Lounge. On April 25, 1981, J.W. Hall's Steak and Seafood Inn opened its doors to the public.

It didn't take long before word got around that J.W Hall's was the place to go for a great meal and friendly service. In fact, as business increased, it became clear that the old place just wasn't big enough. So two and one- half years after opening, in September of 1983, the walls between the restaurant and the adjoining space were removed and J.W. Hall's more than doubled in size to its present capacity.

The guiding principle of the restaurant has always been that the customer comes first. Those who know Joe Hall have surely heard him preach about the virtues of "free enterprise" and capitalism. But J.W Hall's has never focused on short-term profits. Rather, the focus is on keeping the customers happy. As Joe Hall has often said, "If you keep the customers happy, they'll come back.',"

How do you keep the customers happy? According to Joe Hall, "If you want a good restaurant, then you need to have good food and good service." At first, such a statement seems circular-- like saying "you will always win baseball games if you score more runs than the other team."

But the statement actually contains a core belief that has been important to the restaurant's success over the years. Joe Hall has never believed in gimmicks or tricks, and the simplicity of this philosophy is one of the greatest strengths of J.W. Hall's. Gimmicks, like fads, will come and go, but the goal of J.W Hall's remains the same: to provide a warm, friendly atmosphere in a restaurant that people can depend upon for "good food and good service."

-- by Brian Hall, 1992

unbiased son of Joe and Louise Hall

The History Continues.....

J.W. Hall's has become one of the area's proudest traditions. It is the home-town favorite, the place where everyone goes when they want a dependably great meal combined with consistently outstanding service. J.W. Hall's is a friendly place filled with even friendlier people. J.W. Hall's has become that happy, familiar place where friends meet, families celebrate and everyone has a good time. It is the place to go to be served by the waitress who knows your favorite meal, and the hostess who knows your favorite place to sit. While Cheers may have been the place "where everybody knows your name," it was a TV show. J.W. Hall's is the real thing.

The secret to the success of J.W. Hall's is not such a secret. When customers come to J.W. Hall's, they know they are special because that is precisely how the employees of J.W. Hall's---many of whom have worked at JW Halls for decades---- feel about their customers. At J.W. Hall's each person who walks through the door is valued and respected. And that has been true since J.W. Hall's first opened its doors in 1981.
Just as they knew that the time was right to open the restaurant in 1981, in 2011 Joe and Louise Hall knew that it was time to retire. They would miss being owners of place that had been such a big part of their life for over thirty years. Most of all, they would miss the people---their friends-the customers and the employees that they had cherished and enjoyed for so many years. Indeed, Joe Hall, not a man to wear his heart on his sleeve, had a hard time holding back his emotions as he told his employees that he was going to retire. But after a job well done, Joe and Louise knew the time was right to pass the torch to new owners who were eager and able to carry on the tradition of J.W. Halls......and to build on its success.

The new owners, Jeff and Johnene Belsky, assumed ownership of J.W. Hall's on September 1, 2011. They were no strangers to J.W. Halls. Indeed, Jeff had begun working at J.W. Hall's as a dishwasher when he was only 15 years old, four days after the restaurant opened in June of 1981. In the subsequent years, he had worked almost every job at JW Halls, including busboy, cook, bartender and eventually assistant manager for over three years. Jeff learned the restaurant business from Joe Hall. And as befits a small town, Jeff and Johnene were childhood friends of the Hall's children, Brian and Laura. Jeff and Brian were literally close friends, working only a few feet away from each other in J.W. Hall's kitchen and then, later in the day, only a few feet away again as Jeff played third base while Brian pitched for the Hopewell High School baseball team. Likewise, Johnene and Laura have fond memories of being on gymnastics team and summers together at the Clearview pool.

Also befitting the family feel of J.W. Hall's, the change in ownership was done in the best possible way. The Halls and Belskys had built trust and admiration for each other over several decades. The agreement didn't require much legalese. It was more of a handshake deal, surrounded by a whole bunch of good will. In the summer of 2011, the parties worked together as partners to ensure that the transition would go smoothly. And it did. Jeff stated: "We value people at J.W. Hall's. If we keep our customers happy, they'll come back." Sounds familiar.

-- by Brian Hall, 2011
unbiased son of Joe and Louise Hall