BEHIND THE BITE
ABOVE: Mural welcomes diners to the outdoor sitting area.
SERVING NOSTALGIA
T
Newport’s The Jug: A Local Staple for 75 Years STORY BY VINCE DAMICO | PHOTOS BY VINCE DAMICO
he lobby of The Jug is about the size of a convenience store. Restaurant patrons are greeted with the sweet scent of ice cream and serenaded by the smoky sizzle of hamburger patties on the grill. The soft chatter of employee conversation rings throughout the small building as a buzzer goes off for the French fries. Two large menu boards sit behind the register on the brick wall featuring treats such as foot long hot dogs, the pizzaburger, Philly cheese steak, onion rings and chips, mac-n-cheese bites, wings and jalapeno poppers—just to name a few. The ice cream machine sits just off behind the register. The Jug, located between the Ohio River and Route 7, has served hot dogs, ice cream and burgers in
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Washington County since the restaurant’s founding in 1955. Ever since, patrons and former employees alike have returned. Originally called the Guernsey Jug, much has changed in the restaurant’s 75 years. In the early days, a single employee wore many hats and ran the entire store alone. Loretta Thomas, then a high schooler, was often that only employee. Thomas was responsible for taking orders, preparing food, making ice cream, hand pressing burger patties at opening, serving food, dissembling the ice cream machine to clean and whatever else needed doing. “It was wonderful. Some of the best times I ever had working were at the Jug… It was a great experience. The relationships I made with customers,
