Call To The Bar: Great vibes at J&R Restaurant and Bar

Step inside J&R Restaurant and Bar, and it won't be long before you're captivated by the joke-cracking, Campari-loving owner, Jacqueline Campbell.

The tiny spot is big on vibes, evident by the camaraderie of the persons in the bar as THE STAR visited on a sleepy Wednesday afternoon.

J&R is located on Alton Villa Road, which links the popular Slipe Pen and Slipe roads in Kingston.

Campbell hails from Guys Hill, St Mary, but has called this area home for more than 40 years.

She always loved the idea of owning her own business, but she started with the restaurant first. That restaurant is still standing and forms one half of J&R.

Cooking and serving customers is something that comes naturally to her.

"I jus enjoy it. It's what I do because me nuh have the brains fi look work," she joked, before seriously adding: "I feel more independent when I'm doing my own thing."

Like many cook shops, there are some staples at her establishment.

"Chicken and turkey neck (are prepared) every day that God mek," she laughed. "And we know how to prepare it right."

She decided to open the adjoining bar after her brother-in-law had a bar a short distance away from her spot.

"Things didn't go well with him. But people wanted a bar to hang out. So decided to do it. But I asked questions first," she said.

However, she needed a location. Her husband had a furniture shop next to the restaurant, so she asked if she could use the space.

"Him never like the idea," Campbell laughed. "Because the house is right there (behind the bar and restaurant). Nobody really liked it, not even my kids. But then they said, 'that's what mommy really wants to do'."

BUSINESS THRIVING

Despite the original hesitation, it's been about a decade since she opened, and despite the ups and downs of business, J&R has been thriving.

"People joked and said Miss Campbell, a when yuh husband tek out him furniture dem," she laughed, as she recalled the early days after opening.

"The guys dem especially love the bar round here. We have some good customers," she smiled.

Campbell noted she has customers from all over the Corporate Area, including the nearby Hannah Town, and more remote communities like Cockburn Pen and Manor Park. Campbell said that she even has Portmore clients.

"The ladies dem a drink di rum more than the man dem now," she said. "But right now a Campari taking the market. It sell faster than the white rum."

One of her sons, Ricardo, and her daughter, Shanelle, play a more active part in the bar, but she will still oversee operations.

"I'm not afraid to go around the counter, not because my hair is grey," she said as she flashed her locks.