On why he has stayed around for so long, Steele said: “I like it, I got friends here, easy work, free burgers.”
Donnie Osborne bought the restaurant in April 2018. Osborne also owns Shaddock’s Pizza in Middletown.
“[Kenny’s] more of a staple than the actual burgers,” Osborne said.
Credit: Bryn Dippold
Credit: Bryn Dippold
When The Jug’s opening was announced on Facebook early Thursday, Osborne received over 300 calls and texts within a few hours sharing excitement and asking questions.
Osborne grew up in Middletown, and his parents live very close to The Jug. “I’m the oldest of five, so we used to jump the fence and come over [to The Jug] and eat,” he said.
It was a place they could go without their parents, Osborne said. His grandparents’ first date was at The Jug.
The Jug originally opened in 1932 during the Great Depression by Bert Lawler. The first night, according to a Facebook post from The Jug, sales totaled less than $8.
In 1939, Lawler moved the business to Central Avenue, and in 1948, it moved to its current location at 3610 Central Ave. The restaurant is known for its crispy-thin burgers, root beer floats and waffle fries.
Credit: Bryn Dippold
Credit: Bryn Dippold
Osborne has considered opening a Jug 2.0, but he thinks the “right step” might be shipping premade burgers across the country.
He didn’t want to tackle the venture until a family friend who worked at Maid-Rite in Greenville, Ohio, gifted Osborne a Maid-Rite box, full of the restaurant’s loose burger meat, buns and toppings. Maid-Rite ships these boxes across the country.
“I think that would be the best option for this little small place,” he said.
Osborne said he “accidentally” got into the restaurant business. “But I really enjoy it,” he said. “It’s been very cool being from here, (owning) the two icons that I grew up on, I get a chance to hold that story for a while until maybe my son will take it over one day or another family member. As long as it continues.”
He hopes to hold onto the restaurant for a while. “I do not want to be the person that (closes it down)...I don’t want to be that guy. My grandkids wouldn’t be able to walk around here.”
The Jug is at 3610, Central Ave. in Middletown. It is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant will be open until December.
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