Posted: May 7, 2010

by Lakeshia Artis

lakeshia.artis@insidebiz.com

The secret is in the sauce.

The tangy and spicy Savory Super Sauce is the hot dog topping of choice at Jo's Hot Dogs.

"It is our own unique sauce," co-owner Vickie Beasley said. "The sauce enhances the taste of the hot dogs and brings out the flavor. When people try one, they want to come back for a second one."

Jo's, which opened in March in Newport News, sells beef, turkey and veggie hot dogs and offers a variety of toppings that include the original Savory Super Sauce and the Spicy, which has hamburger meat in it.

In addition, customers can choose from an assortment of hot dog and kid combo meals, fries, chips, snack cakes, large pickles and freshly brewed iced tea. Jo's is in the Jefferson Ridge Two shopping center on Jefferson Avenue.

"Families come in and some of them have different eating preferences," Vickie said. "They find we can meet all of their demands."

The business is named after Vickie - Jo is her middle name.

Her husband, Howard, said the sauce recipe is based on his childhood experiences back in Washington, N.C., at the local hot dog stand.

"When I was a kid, I used to drive our boat there and get hot dogs," Howard said. "I just thought it was the neatest thing. The flavor was really good and the place did a ton of business.

"The sauce that we have is based on their sauce and also other sauces we have researched," he said. "It's a compilation of all those."

Patrons will appreciate the cleanliness and openness of Jo's. The lime green walls with brightly colored artwork and the black-and-white-tiled floor add a warm and inviting charm to the place.

"The whole combination makes the atmosphere more modern and gives it a diner feel," Howard said.

Howard, a deputy program manager for the Army, and Vickie, who previously worked as a senior buyer for a business in Williamsburg, opened the restaurant after Vickie was laid off due to company downsizing.

"It's been in the back of my mind for years," Howard said. "This presented an opportunity for us to go ahead and do it. There was some risk involved, but we decided if we're going to do it, now was the best time."

Before plunging into a small business, the Beasleys took NxLevel classes at the Small Business Development Center in Williamsburg.

"We needed to top off our collective experiences specifically for small businesses and how to run one," Howard said. "A lot of the research we did for the business was part of the class. We had to do a full business plan and cost projection. It gave us a lot of insight and taught us about the pitfalls of business and what to expect."

After taking several steps to reach their goal, they began looking for a building that would fit their needs and attract new business.

"We wanted road visibility," Howard said. "We have a stoplight in front of our restaurant that goes into the parking lot. Jefferson Avenue is busy and we wanted customers to be able to get in and out quickly."

This visibility has resulted in a steady stream of customers at Jo's.

"For the first few days we were mobbed," Vickie said. "The lunch crowd was backed up all the way to the door. The community has really supported us."

Opening up in a less-than-stellar economy didn't deter the Beasleys from pursuing their dream.

"I couldn't have done it if I didn't have a lot of faith in the project itself," Howard said. "I feel like the sauce is so unique and the product will have such a high demand that we will do just fine. We see it as an opportunity in a down economy."

The Beasleys have set their goals high and see expansions in the future.

"Our goal is to expand later," Howard said. "We have had several requests to go to different towns already. We want to develop the first one and not get in a rush. It's a classic mistake people make."

Right now Vickie is enjoying running Jo's day-to-day operations and sees a bright future ahead.

"If you have the value and product people will come," she said. nib