justine jacobsen ethan's eatery An Oroville native, Justine got her start in food service at Applebee’s, where she quickly rose through the ranks, securing the position of district manager for the chain’s three Northern California locations. By the time she was 30, she had learned everything there was to know about operating a busy large-scale restaurant, and having worked in nearly every position, had an understanding of how to be successful in each. In 2016, she took off on maternity leave and began contemplating a restaurant of her own. When she and her husband, Jeff, saw Jake’s Burgers & More was for sale, they jumped at the opportunity and purchased the business the following year. “Jake’s already had a well-established clientele of its own, and we didn’t want to scare anyone off, considering the business had been there since 1996.” Justine said, “We operated the business as it was for the first year and took baby steps in every change we made. After the first year, we remodeled the dining room, added menu items, and started to spruce things up from there.” Oroville responded with excitement to the changes, and the business grew month-after-month, fulfilling Justine’s dream of owning their own restaurant. Having found success with Jake’s, Justine 58
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wanted to take the next step and build a restaurant from the ground up. While at lunch with Jeff and her best friend, Ashley— who had worked in the food industry since she was 16 as well—Jeff came across a vacant building that perfectly fit the bill. The three began collaborating, offering up ideas on what Oroville needed most, and came up with Ethan’s Eatery, an elevated brunch experience geared towards the people who could use a day off the most—moms. “We wanted to give women a place to escape their normal day-to-day and enjoy something different that was built specifically for them.” Justine laughed, “Of course, men are welcome, too! The idea was to be a place where everyone could come and enjoy themselves. There’s no judgment, the music is loud and upbeat, and kids are allowed to be themselves. Equally important, the menu had to appeal to everybody. Our diner and café crowd love our classics like our waffles, French toast, and biscuits and gravy, but we take them to the next level by making all of our sauces and gravies from scratch while bringing in fresh fruit 2-to-3 times per week and slicing it fresh each day. For our moms with more discerning palettes, we offer killer Benedicts and a whole menu of avocado toasts, including traditional, sweet, and savory! Our Bloody Mary stacks
are a huge hit, and our bottomless mimosas are naturally one of our best sellers, as we offer Wycliff champagne and more flavors than I’ve seen anywhere else.” Celebrating their six month anniversary at Ethan’s Eatery, Justine, Jeff, and Ashley have succeeded in doing exactly what she set out to do, and given Oroville a delicious dining experience residents and visitors can be excited about. Though they’ve worked tirelessly to build the business, Justine is the first to state it couldn’t have been done without her husband’s constant encouragement and support and their incredible team. “I don’t hire staff or crew members; I aim to build a family.” Justine said, “I want my team to be people I want to hang out with and have fun with. It feels nice to work with family, and this family goes above and beyond for each other every single day. It takes a village to run a restaurant, and without this village, we’d be nothing.” With Ethan’s well on its way, Justine is looking to the future with plans on expanding the restaurant while opening something new and fresh every few years. Check out their delicious menu for yourself and see just how wonderful brunch can be at 2275 Myers Street in Oroville.
