The force behind PK's legendary Boondocks Restaurant and Bar

Not long ago, Jan Verdi was in the airport in Tampa, Florida, when someone yelled out to her: “Hey, Miss Boondocks!”

Onotheroccasions,she’shadpeoplecomeuptoherwhile she’sbeenoutshoppingtosay,“Hey,rememberme?Weate atBoondockswhenwewereatPKafewyearsago.”

To those folks, she said she just smiled and said, “Come backandseeus”

She and her husband, John Verdi, have been running the Boondocks Restaurant and Bar since 2010, and have owned itsince2015

Boondocks,thelakebarlocatedontheeastsideofPossum Kingdom Lake on FM 2353, has been the go-to place for locals and weekenders for years. The establishment does have a fun lake vibe and décor, but the real secret to its successmayjustbethelongtimeownersthemselves

The Verdis’ approach to business might go unnoticed by some, but it’s appreciated by many, and it can be summed upinoneword:consistency.Boondocksisopeneverydayof the year except Christmas and New Year’s Day, and the couple believes that if you provide good service and good food,peoplewillsupportyou

Boondock’s has an atmosphere that resembles the iconic television show “Cheers” for many locals One local customer,BillStory,isoneofthoseregulars “Icomeinondaysthatendin‘Y,’”hesaid.

He said he doesn’t always order a meal when he visits, but he has his spot at the bar to enjoy a beer, and there are manyothercustomerswhodothesame.

Staffing is a challenge for all businesses, but the Verdis do have a core of longtime employees who have been with them for years, and some of them shared words of praise abouttheiremployers

“John and Jan are wonderful people,” said Tiffany Smart, who’s worked at Boondocks for the past nine years. “I love workingwiththem”

Eleven-year Boondocks employee Jessica Lee got engaged at a Halloween party at the restaurant, and Jan Verdi was instrumental in helping organize that surprise Lee added thattheVerdisarelikeparentstoher.

When a recent ice storm hit the area, the couple told their staff members to go raid the pantry at Boondocks if they needed food, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they continued to make sure their employees were paid And whenanemployeeisill,JanVerdimakessurethatemployee haswhateverisneededtogetbetter

Baylee Marshall, who’s been a Boondocks employee for a little over a year, is also working on a modeling career, and she said the Verdis have been very supportive of her goals, includingschedulingtimeofftoattendtherecentNewYork FashionWeekandtheupcomingfashionweekinAustin

Whether they’ve worked at Boondocks for 11 years, like John Wilson has, or just a few months, the staff members agreed that the Verdis are great employers, with the favorite lake weekend being Mardi Gras and the Memorial Day weekend usuallythebusiest.

The Verdis met when they were in their 20s. Jan Verdi was a hairdresser by day and a bartender in the evenings, while JohnVerdiwasherbossatarestaurantinFloridawhereshe bartended

The couple runs Boondocks as a team, with John Verdi working during the days, taking care of the bills, deposits and day shift He and his best friend, John Nash, go to Restaurant Depot every week for supplies and handpick all themeatandvegetablesforfreshness

JanVerdiworkstheevenings,andsaidshegetshomemany nights between 2 am and 3 am She makes sure the establishment is ready for the next day with all the stocking and cleaning that must be done daily – and she said she’s pickyaboutthat

JohnVerdisaidheandNashenjoytheirweeklytripstoFort Worth for supplies He said his friend used to own a grocery storeoutatthelakeandenjoysmakingthetripwithhim

JanVerdiaddedthatNashloveshelpingothers.WhenNash found out the women at the bank couldn’t leave for lunch, he began to order, pay for and deliver their lunches to the bank

“Nash has helped many at the lake, and the two Johns are luckytohaveeachotherasfriends,”shesaid.

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Boondockshasexperienceddouble-digitgrowthinthepast fewyears,whichcanbeattributedtothehard-workingstaff and owners. John Verdi said he and his wife are always open to new ideas, but there are some things that are nonnegotiable. For example: All the hamburger patties at Boondocks are hand-patted, and the employees make the onionringsandchipsfromscratch.Theyalsocooktheirown roasts and prime rib for all their beef sandwiches, and hand-cut all the chicken strips from boneless chicken breasts The famous Boondocks salad bar, managed with pridebyGlendaRichey,isalwaysfresh,coldandfuntolook atintheiced-downcanoe

Itturnsoutthatconsistencymatters

The crowd at Boondocks comes from all walks of life, and the patrons are there for one thing: to have a good time. TheVerdishavemadetheeventsatBoondocksfamous,and every year they host a Thanksgiving dinner for whoever showsup Theysaidthatnoteveryonehasaplacetogoon Thanksgiving, so they host their own gathering at the restaurant, with the Verdis – and sometimes their family –waiting tables and serving as bartenders. One year more than100peopleshowedup,theysaid

Every year the Verdis also host a Christmas party for their customers All the food and drinks are free for this huge event, and it’s catered by local restaurants. The event started out with employees inviting their families and favorite customers, and it turned out that they have a lot of favorite customers The employees work for tips only that night, and the event serves as a way to give back to the community

Jan Verdi added that Boondocks has served as a venue for weddingsandwakesaswell.

The Verdis’ path to Possum Kingdom Lake has taken many turns Back in 2007, the couple were living in Midlothian, Texas, where they owned a mobile home business, buying, selling and delivering mobile homes for customers One day their son, Anthony, traveled to Possum Kingdom Lake and toldhisdadhowbeautifulitwas

JohnVerdibegantodoalittleonlineresearchandspotted a house across from the airport John called local real estateagentValerieKlappertoaskhowfarawaythehouse wasfromtheairport.

John,apilot,responded:“OK,I’monmyway.”

He made the short flight from Midlothian to Possum Kingdom to look at the house, then flew back and told his wifewhathehadfound

TheoriginalhomeontheAirportRoadpropertywasasmall cabin, so they tore it down and put a mobile home where it hadstood

The couple’s Midlothian home was part of an airport community, and they did a lot of entertaining in their backyard, which featured a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen and an airplane hangar. They said their friends always told them they should open a restaurant, so they ended up selling their business in Midlothian and moving to PossumKingdomfulltime

TheVerdisopenedupasmallrestaurant,calledTheStuffed Olive, on FM 2353 in the former Patsy’s Cactus Flower location AfewmonthsafteropeningTheStuffedOlive,the owners of Boondocks asked if they would be interested in managing their business The Verdis managed Boondocks for five years, but in 2015 they decided they wanted to be closer to their children and grandchildren, so they sold their houseonAirportRoad.

Days after selling their home, they were given the opportunitytobuyBoondocks,towhichJohnVerditurnedto hiswifeandasked,“Whatelsearewegoingtodo?”

The couple found another home on the lake, but the lake was way down at the time, and even though the property was considered “lakefront,” the water was about three football fields away from the house. Two weeks after they bought Boondocks, though, it started raining and the lake filled back up, bringing the shoreline to within 200 feet of theirbackdoor

The Verdis have been married for 43 years and have three children, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and four recently adopted great-grandchildren John Verdi sold his plane a few months ago, and when he and his wife aren’tworkingatBoondocks,theyenjoytheirpatioviewand travelingintheirRVwiththeirdog,Boon.Sofar,thoughthe couple has no plan to slow down or change what they’re doing.

Boondocks isn’t just a part of many people’s memorable stays at PK; under the ownership of John and Jan Verdi, it’s alsoaplacethatlocalscallhome.