The crew at Jac & Dos are putting the final touches on their new high street location. Credit: Jack Like | Lantern Reporter
Jac & Do’s, the Findlay, Ohio-based pizza chain, is set to open its first-ever Columbus restaurant Friday.
The new restaurant — located at 1607 N. High St. — will take over the location formerly home to Slammies, the LGBTQ+ bar and pizzeria that closed its doors in the Gateway University District in June of this year.
Gabriel Woerner, a former Slammies employee who will also work at the new Jac & Do’s location, said he started his bartending experience at another LGBTQ+ space in Columbus, so when he was searching for a new job, Slammies seemed like the perfect opportunity. He said the community the restaurant provided was something he particularly loved.
“Slammies was loved by a lot of people because of the programming and the environment created by patrons and staff,” Woerner said. “Just friends having a good time, having good food. [It was a] no judgment zone.”
Woerner said Slammies’ environment is one that will leave a mark in Columbus history, even long after the location has been gone.
“Slammies will leave a mark as one of, if not the only, LGBTQ space in the campus area,” Woerner said. “In a state where anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation is on the rise, I felt like our presence was very important and supported by the community.”
With memories of his own, Woerner said he won’t soon forget Slammies’ legacy.
“I’ll remember all the late nights at Slammies,” Woerner said. “[There were] so many regulars who really were the heart of the space. Karaoke and trivia were also always highlights.”
Ultimately, Woerner said Slammies’ — a sister bar to LGBTQ bar Slammers — doors were closed after the owners decided to focus on the Slammers location. He said after the location closed and he heard word of Jac & Do’s taking it over, he decided to stay because of his love for the space and the neighborhood.
“I started at Jac & Do’s about two weeks ago and it has been awesome,” Woerner said. “[They are] super supportive in management and in the transition. Our staff is full of students and non-students. It has been a lot of fun training and getting to pump life back into the space.”
Aaron and Donnie Hampton, brothers and owners of the new Jac & Do’s location, said with the opening of the restaurant — which is set for 4 p.m Friday — they hope to showcase their “tavern-style” pizza to the Columbus community.
“There’s none like it,” Donnie Hampton said. “It’s not like any other pizza place you’ve been to. I think it has a unique and distinct taste.”
What Aaron Hampton said separates Jac & Do’s from other Columbus pizza places is the unique flavors in the shop’s signature sauce, which is prepared fresh every day.
“The thing that really makes our pizza is the sauce,” Aaron Hampton said. “We haven’t found anyone yet that finds it forgettable.”
Aaron Hampton said Jac & Do’s — which opened its first location in Findlay, Ohio in 1965 — has since expanded to include locations across cities like Arlington, Fostoria, Kenton and Tiffin in Western Ohio. He said once the Slammies closure was brought to his and his brother’s attention, they immediately saw its potential.
“When I saw it and saw the proximity to Ohio State, I immediately called my brother,” Aaron Hampton said. “I said, ‘Man, we got to look at this place.’ So, at a pretty rapid pace, we saw this and came down and looked at it. We thought that this would be a beautiful location for us to bring Jac & Do’s to Columbus.”
Donnie Hampton said the new location has brought with it a sense of intrigue and curiosity among Columbus residents.
“There’s a sense of anticipation,” Donnie Hampton said. “A lot of questions like, ‘When are you opening? What’s Jac & Do’s all about?’”
Donnie Hampton said his answer to those questions is that, being Ohio State fans, he and his brother seek to provide a unique spot to eat, drink and watch sports for other Buckeye fans and the greater Columbus community.
“We want to provide an inclusive environment,” Donnie Hampton said. “One where people gather, and have fun and [enjoy] good food and Ohio State sports in a relaxing atmosphere.”
For more information about Jac & Do’s, visit the restaurant’s Facebook page.
