Friday, October 7, 2011 � Joe's Country Kitchen was made to keep Joe Riley Jr. off the streets.
Joe Riley Sr. pays rent and manages the books for Joe's Country Kitchen, a new restaurant located at Boots and Fifth streets in Marion, but he lets his son run it. Riley Sr. said he hopes this will teach his son how to support himself financially.
"I just want my son to take care of himself and his family without being in the streets involved in drugs," Riley Sr. said. "With the job opportunities that there are now, [selling drugs is] basically all that young kids have to do to make money, and I didn't want that for [my son] because I know the outcomes - death, prison."
Riley Sr. said it's his son's business; he's just "the money behind it."
"I tell him, �You're in a unique position right now: a young man, not even 21 years-old yet, and you have a partnership in a business,'" Riley Sr. said. "That's very good for a young man at that age."
Joe's Country Kitchen opened its doors Sept. 1. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating.
Riley Jr. said Joe's Country Kitchen is here to serve people from all around Marion, because of its prime location on a corner in the inner city. In fact, it's in the location of an old hamburger stand, The Grand Hamburger, at which Riley Sr. used to eat.
The Grand Hamburger was opened some time in the �90s, Riley Sr. said. In its honor, the tagline of Joe's Country Kitchen is "Where the hamburger is still grand."
"And we do have a nice juicy, meaty grand hamburger," Riley Sr. said.
Marion resident Harold Ramsey ate one of these grand burgers with a side of fries on Thursday afternoon.
"It's very good food," Ramsey said. "He's a very good cook."
Joe's Country Kitchen is not just a burger joint, however.
"We have the best cheesesteak in town," Riley Sr. said.
Joe's Country Kitchen also serves ribs, chicken and breakfast foods. Its hours are Tuesday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., and it is closed on Monday.