CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A fixture for lunch in downtown Charleston won’t be around much longer.
Former Charleston Mayor Danny Jones has announced he’ll close Danny’s Barbecue Stand on Quarrier Street at the end of the year.
“Father time is catching up with me. I have a lot of arthritis and I have a serious medical issue I need to deal with and get tested for, I can’t even straighten out my right leg. I’ve aged so much and gone so far down hill in these three years I know that I need to pack it in,” said Jones in an appearance on 580-Live, a show on WCHS radio he formerly hosted prior to opening his restaurant.
Located on Quarrier Street, the eatery features Danny’s special blend of BBQ sauce over pulled pork, ribs, and chicken. His chili was also a hit with customers along with his house made croutons.
The walls of Jones’ restaurant serve as a makeshift museum of Charleston history. The trappings include the actual and lit-up neon sign from the former Broad Street Hotel and hundreds of plaqued newspaper stories about his work in public service and the restaurant business. Customers always got personal service from Danny himself and usually a lengthy conversation.
“Trust me, I’m going to miss this. When you guys come in it’s a delight. I have so many friends who come in and just say hello. If we’re not busy I sit down and talk to them,” he explained.
Although his health concerns are one issue, the other is family. Jones has a couple of young sons and enjoys spending time with them. He closed down the restaurant during the month of July to accommodate doctors appointments and vacations with his boys.
“You cannot close your business that many times and for that long in a year and expect to just pick up where you left off. It doesn’t work. But I had these two boys and I need to take them on vacation and then I had lots of doctors appointments and when I could I would schedule them for July because that’s when I’m off,” Jones explained.
Prior to opening Danny’s BBQ stand three years ago, Jones was the host of 580-Live. He assumed the position of talkshow host during his final year as Charleston’s Mayor. He served four terms and was the city’s longest tenured mayor.
Jones has always been a public figure. Prior to his service as mayor he served as Kanawha County Sheriff and served in the House of Delegates. As a young man he served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and worked as a mechanic. He also operated another restaurant in the community of Nitro for years, something which had gotten into his blood as a teenager. He worked in several eateries in downtown Charleston as a high school student, but said the Sterling was the one where he developed a love for the restaurant culture.
“I was a lonely high school kid. School wasn’t working out very well for me socially or academically and at the Sterling, people would talk to me. It’s where I was introduced to the sub-culture of Charleston,” he explained. “I loved it. I loved every minute of it.”
He had hoped to to reestablish the success of his Nitro restaurant in his downtown location, but admitted it was too big of an undertaking at this point in his life.
“Thirty years ago in Nitro I was open seven days a week and open to 9:00. I also had a beer and liquor license. This place doesn’t need a liquor license, but a beer license would work. If I was young and could do it, that’s what I would do here,” he said.
Jones plans to keep his food service license and his company up to date and to be available on a very limited basis to cook for individuals who may hire him for an event. He also suggested his next step may be as a driver for either a local limousine service on a limited basis or for Uber.