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Jenny’s Fabulous Food, Fast

After successfully opening two barbecue restaurants under the name of Randy’s House of Bar-B-Que in Highland and Maryville, Randy Ackerman decided to join with three friends to open another restaurant – this one in Vandalia.

Only this one would be named “Jenny’s Fabulous Food, Fast.”
In addition to Ackerman, the partners in the local venture are Dave Melosi, Steve Wilhelm and Rich Melosi. Together, they’re known as RDSR Restaurants.
The local manager is Vandalia native Andy Hosick
Located in the Vandalia Commons mall near Wal-Mart, the restaurant features Ackerman’s unique rubs and sauces, and the meat is cooked to the specifications that have made his previous restaurants so popular.
“A lot of restaurants try to offer something for everyone,” said a press release from the company. “But that’s not what we’re about. We’re about barbecue. We decided before we got started that we were going to do a few things exceptionally well rather than offer a greater variety at the expense of quality.”
Ackerman, who lives in Marine, has a background in the restaurant business, but his experience was in regular American food and fried chicken. He became interested in barbecue more as a hobby than a vocation.
“I went to contests for six or seven years,” he said, “and after watching what they did, I thought, ‘I can do this.’
“I went out and bought a 750-pound pit and started experimenting. I use some of the competition business tricks that I learned, but I’ve tweaked everything. I think I have a pretty good product.”
In addition to the barbecue, Jenny’s will offer daily specials and a number of other menu choices. Frozen custard is one of the menu items that will be added to the menu.
Another centerpiece item at the restaurant is organic coffee. They will be brewing Goshen Coffee, a St. Louis area company that roasts small batches of 100 percent organic coffee – a product that is certified organic and completely sustainable for the environment as well as the farmers that raise it.
The hours of operation at Jenny’s are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Delivery is free in the area. The telephone number is 283-8766.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held recently at Jenny’s Fabulous Food, Fast – a new barbecue restaurant in Vandalia. Located in Vandalia Commons near WalMart, the restaurant is managed by Vandalia native Andy Hosick, center. The four owners of the company are shown in matching shirts.

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