Mac and Joe’s, a longtime Oxford dining staple, was highlighted by America’s Best Restaurants (ABR), a national company that features prominent local restaurants across the country.
Launched at a French restaurant in California in 2018, ABR began visiting restaurants in 2021. CEO Matt Plapp said several restaurants the company spotlighted saw an increased profit as a result of their commercials.
“I said … cable TV is dying […] what if I created that [show], but at a massive scale, visiting about 1,000 restaurants to hear their story?” Plapp said.
Ashley Dawn, who was the on-camera presence during the Oxford shoot, shared the process for selecting restaurants.
“We travel the United States looking for independently-owned restaurants,” Dawn said.
She said ABR was drawn to Mac and Joe’s for its old-school bar-and-grill atmosphere, along with the owners’ hands-on approach to running the business, which stood out compared to more corporate restaurant models.
She also emphasized the difference between small restaurant owners and chain restaurant CEOs, saying independent restaurateurs are typically hands-on with daily operations, unlike chain executives who are often away traveling or on vacation.
Dawn spent five years on a morning show in Cincinnati before moving to ABR after her show was moved off the air. Now, she spends her time traveling the country exploring restaurants.
During filming from noon to 3 p.m., Mac and Joe’s remained open to the public, though lunch orders were paused as Dawn filmed with chef Jake Korineck in the kitchen.
A few customers trickled in, but the atmosphere was defined by the smell of beers and burgers, and the camera capturing it all.
Dawn not only raved about the food on film, but also during a Facebook livestream.
“You know it, you love it — drinking beers, eating burgers [and] eating salads as big as my head,” Dawn said. .
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Coming from a background in radio, Dawn adapted to shifting mediums, moving from the B-105 radio station in Cincinnati to livestreams and YouTube videos with ABR.
“Today, streaming is where it’s at,” Dawn said. “Nobody listens to the radio anymore.”
During the day in Oxford, Dawn conducted a kitchen interview with Korineck and tasted the burger and fries he made. She also interviewed co-owner Jim Kuykendoll after the cameraman spent 45 minutes photographing the food.
Dawn asked questions about the menu and the significance of Mac and Joe’s in Uptown Oxford.
“Our claim to fame is the oldest student bar in Oxford, dating back to 1946,” Kuykendoll said. “Our history is a big part of who we are.”
Mac and Joe’s was founded by Miami Mergers Pat and Charley Cortright in 1946. They regularly get alumni visitors ranging from the Class of 1950 to 2012, who, according to restaurant employees Una Marjan and Logan Shawn, arrive happy to be back in a culture that carries through the decades.
Kuykendoll and his wife, Jenny, are the current owners of Mac and Joe’s. Like the founders, they both attended Miami University. Jenny graduated in 2000 and Jim in 2002. They met at Miami’s homecoming and married in 2005. They reside in Cincinnati with their twin children.
They inherited the business following the death of Jim’s stepfather, Todd Hollenbaugh, from a heart attack in 2021. Jenny recalls going to Mac and Joe’s during her time as a student at Miami.
In a small alley off High Street is a beehive mural that leads customers to the restaurant’s entrance, the hole-in-the-wall restaurant that has evolved. Customers enter the building and go upstairs to find a bar with TVs, colorful lights and baseboards with quotes and signatures lining the wooden walls.
Along the ceiling are hockey sticks and trinkets facing the entrance. The building wasn’t built to be a restaurant, and according to Jim, that adds to the character.
Jenny said it’s not an on-site job, but their work is 24/7. Jim said his experience leading into this role comes from his business major, and the fact that he previously worked in supply chain.
Mac and Joe’s is the least busy during Miami’s winter break, which runs from mid-December through late January. They contribute to local scholarships, wine festivals and Oktoberfest.
Jim said Mac and Joe’s is now fully staffed, which wasn’t the case when they took over the restaurant four years ago. He said working with their employees is extremely fun and amazing.
“We can really talk about our values,” Jim said. “We don’t like to just put them on paper.”
ABR’s feature of Mac and Joe’s is expected to be released on the company’s social media platforms, including YouTube, sometime between late July and late August. The shoot took place in late April and will give viewers a behind-the-scenes perspective on the establishment.
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