By Jared Pinder
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
When J’Ville Grille opened its doors in April in Jarrettsville, General Manager Danny Santoro was satisfied his restaurant offered the type of family friendly environment he’d been searching for in other establishments.
“When we were looking to build a restaurant, we wanted to set up a family friendly environment for people,” Santoro said of the Grille, located at 3701 Federal Hill Road, in Harford County. “We thought that Maryland lacked a restaurant that my family could eat at, so we just wanted to give people that option.”
Santoro said that he chose the rural town of Jarrettsville, located 30 miles Northeast of downtown Baltimore with its population of nearly 3,000 because the traffic on Route 23 flows through the middle of town.
“When we started looking at Jarrettsville, my family found out that the area had a lot of traffic and the area was nice enough to support a family restaurant,” Santoro said.
Santoro said that his restaurant has been more successful than he thought.
“Usually when a restaurant opens you expect a slow start and that hasn’t been the case,” he said.
The family-friendly environment starts with the very glossy and clean look of the restaurant, which is small but setup in a very welcoming way. The workers are quick to greet customers, engage them in conversations and offer ideas on the reasonably priced menu filled with traditional American food. Customers can select from sandwiches, soups, salads, as well as the Maryland favorites of Crab Cakes and Crab Soup.
“The environment we built here is special and I credit a lot of the success we have had to it,” Santoro said. “When we said we wanted a friendly environment that extends to the workers, not only the customers.”
Santoro said he expects his investment to pay off eventually.
“While it may take some time, I feel like we have been a lot more profitable than most would have expected,” Santoro said. “It usually takes over a year to see some kind of profit, so since we are only seven months old, we consider ourselves successful.”
Santoro acknowledged he and the owners dealt with some struggles and challenges as they worked on building the restaurant.
“Every new restaurant will probably go through this” he said, “but the biggest problem for us was picking a concept and trying to find food that would make it.”
Chantal Damien works at a hostess and server at J’Ville Grille.
“I have been working in the restaurant business for over 15 years and I haven’t seen a better start for a restaurant,” Damien said.
Damien said she enjoys the freedom the owners allow.
“Danny gives me a lot of freedom so I do a lot, but I mostly run carryout, host, and serving when needed,” Damien said.
Damien also pointed to the environment as a great asset to working there.
“I have made so many new friends and the atmosphere has been fantastic because of how Danny treats us with care,” Damien said. “When you have an owner that treats you with care, that energy helps us stay more positive to the customers and at the end of the day everyone is happy.”
Even as a bus boy, Noah Yelton said he is pleased with the job.
“My role is a bus boy, but everyone around me is so nice and we all have respect for each other,” Yelton said. “The best part of this job has been the fact that I have been shown the same respect that everyone else has.”
Yelton said the mutual respect contributed to the positive environment.
“Nobody feels above everyone else here and that is very important in building the best working culture possible,” Yelton said.
Customer Jake Brady said he loves the food.
“The food is the main thing keeping me coming back,” Brady said. “My favorite things to order are the Buffalo Quesadillas and the Maryland Crab Soup.”
Brady also pointed to the environment.
“You can’t find a cleaner place restaurant in Jarrettsville,” said Brady. “But the servers and how nice everyone is really helps the environment.”