JW's Sports Cafe
2198 Sharon Rd. Sharonville. Oh 45241 772-8633
Reviews
The pub that Ford built
By: RJ
I love a good pub. I avoid corporate clone joints at all costs. I’ve been to one in 4 years. Not by choice either-I was obligated. Family deal, they wouldn’t hear of a switch either. It sucked. The fish I ordered was (as expected) the frozen pre-battered pathetic variety and if I had liked it, there was not nearly enough. Three skinny fish “fingers” if you will. Corporate clone food almost always sucks. It has to. They don’t trust employees to cook. Seriously. Employees of such places have told me personally “We don’t cook, we assemble.” The products are all “factory” prepared. Open the bag-count the portion-push the micro button-beep!-it’s done. No thinking. Factory food.
As I said I love a good pub. A new pub just opened on Sharon Rd. that might have the foundation to stand up to their celebrity TV commercial competition. JW’s Sports Pub sits on 2198 Sharon Rd. dead next to Bob Evan’s (Ya’ll grow your own monosodium glutamate “Down On The Farm” do ya Bobbie?). Right in front of the big hotels that surround the defunct but once loved Burbank’s BBQ. Good spot.
It should be, it’s corporate owned real estate for miles in all directions. Very little real deal pubs exist in the area. Since Burbank’s went pork belly up Outback, Cock & Bull or Black Angus have been the main veins to tap for dinner and a draft. Newbie JW’s is ready, willing and able to go steak to steak with the Aussies, have a fish face off with Cock & Bull, or a Burger Battle with Black Angus Burgers & Brew.
How is a newbie gonna’ best the big boys? Simple, think like customers. Something the brainwashed corporate cronies can never truly do. While the corporate jerks are thinking about profit & loss numbers, creative ways to trim labor hours, increase bottom lines and such, the JW’s owners are thinking about things like “The 6 oz Angus burger patties have perfect bun-patty ratio”, “How low can we sell this for?”, “We should definitely make our own Saratoga chips”, “Wouldn’t this batter be good on pickles... ooh and on fresh cut fries too!”, “Mikey what soup are you making today?”
Yep, Mikey makes it all, even the cheese sticks (making them, not just fishing a handful out of the big bag into the fryer pushing timer #2 either).
The owners Brian Lindsey and Jay Hedrick have zero experience in the pub biz. Brian works just down the street at Ford, so he has much experience eating in pubs at lunch time. Partner Jay Hedrick retired from Ford so he probably eats out all the time now. So again, eating, drinking and being served in a pub is the extent of their collective restaurant knowledge. Believe it or not, that’s not a bad thing either.
Even Henry Ford admitted he didn’t know to make, assemble and paint every part of his cars, he claimed he didn’t need to, he was right. Maybe all those years at Ford learning stuff like “everybody has one job, get good people on each job, you do your job, together we create good products, “ really paid off. Jay & Brian showed smart management by managing to import Chef Mikey from an eastside kitchen and give him free reign over JW’s Sharonville kitchen.
Mike calls the shots on the food. He makes the menu and recipes. His fries are the fresh cut variety, his breaded ones are unique, almost a Lee’s-esque flavor and he breads or batters everything on the menu by hand to order (fried pickles too). That includes the daily special-fish sandwich & chips ($4.95). Sweet cod, covered in a thin crisp, topped like a Whopper, served with a heap of still warm Saratogas. It’s real, it’s flaky; it’s a freakin’ steal at 5 bucks. Few can beat it in quality, even fast food can’t beat it in price. They’re damn proud of their Angus burger too. I was stuffed so I’ll be back for that. If it’s as good as they claim, it might make 2011’s Top 10 lists in the area Best Of’s.
JW’s is focused on how to please, for cheap. Five dollar specials like the fish, Angus burgers, Rib-eye sandwiches & pork tenderloin are available daily. The menu prices are on a drive thru level. 33 items under $5, 16 under $7 and all 50 under ten. Only the large pizza is 9 & change. Saturdays, coneys are a buck during the game and Sunday game day features 50¢ buffalo wings, the big kind.
These ole Ford boys built a pub that can go head to head with the big boys on the block. With all that horsepower in the kitchen, they ought to be tough to beat. The owners focus on their job as fundamental managers and let the staff shine in their own right. No corporate brainwashing. Great grub, made proudly, served fresh for stupid cheap prices and a full bar to boot. I’ve only been there once and I like it already.
You might like it too. If you live or work in or near Sharon Rd at 275/75 drive right by the big red Bob Evans and try JW’s. Fresher food, cheaper prices, better people.
Three good reasons to love a good pub. Of course there is a fourth one... cold beer.
