Current Date: 23 Oct, 2025
{{entry.title}}

JBJ Soul Kitchen: Bon Jovi's community restaurant

JBJ Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant by Jon Bon Jovi with no prices on the menu; customers donate to pay for their meals. If you are unable to donate you may do volunteer work in exchange for your family’s meal.

While Jon Bon Jovi is well-known for his musical career, very few people are aware of the good deeds he has done to improve the world. He established The Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation in 2006 with the goal of assisting local initiatives to end the cycle of homelessness and poverty. The launch of JBJ Soul Kitchen, a community restaurant where those in need can eat for free, is one of the foundation’s most well-known accomplishments.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 1
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

The first eatery debuted in the Red Bank region of New Jersey in October 2011. The second one began operations in 2016 close to Toms River, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 2
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Both establishments strive to treat people who are hungry with dignity and respect. Customers with funds and those in need are both welcome. Although there are no prices listed on the menu, those who can afford to do so are urged to donate $20, and those who are unable to do so are urged to volunteer at the establishment.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 3
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen
JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 4
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Over 105,893 meals have already been provided by JBJ Soul Kitchen. The restaurant’s website states that 54% of those meals were purchased with donations and the remaining 46% were obtained through volunteer work.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 5
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen
JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 6
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Customers are not required to make a table reservation in advance. The restaurant operates on a first-come, first-served basis, but those in financial need are given preference.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 7
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen
JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 8
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

Three courses on the restaurant’s menu are influenced by regional American cuisine. Food at JBJ Soul Kitchen is delicious and nutrient-dense because the restaurant’s garden grows its own organic produce.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Bon Jovis community restaurant 9
Image credits: jbjsoulkitchen

The eatery gave away free meals on January 21, 2019, to federal employees and their families who were impacted by the partial government shutdown.

Similar Stories
The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air

The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air

Roberts Timm and Jim Cook, two pilots, flew an aircraft for more than two months without landing in 1958. Matching the speed of a truck moving down the road to refuel. A mattress for sleeping, a small steel sink for personal hygiene, the removal of most interior fittings to reduce weight, and a basic autopilot were among the improvements.

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.

A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001

A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001

In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.

Unique Dining table with a hole for your cat to peek and join you dinner.

Unique Dining table with a hole for your cat to peek and join you dinner.

Dinos, a Japanese internet shop, has launched a new range of cat furniture, which includes this oak table with a hole in the middle and a perch underneath. It places your cat companion in the center of the table, making your cat the main focus of your meal, as it should be, because cats are the true proprietors of “your” home.

A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)

A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)

A train has been constructed through an apartment complex in Chongqing, China. The 19-story residential structure is not only passed by the light rail passenger train, but it also serves as a transit stop. Apartment residents can simply get a ride from the sixth to eighth levels.

Couple reunites after 60 years apart

Couple reunites after 60 years apart

A Russian couple were reunited after being separated for 60 years. They were married for 3 days when the husband left to join the Red Army. They were unable to find each other until 60 years later when they randomly visited their hometown on the same day.

The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.