The Spot: Jamaican Jerk Hut

We always hear about the shiny, new food companies. The Spot is a series about the Philadelphia area's more established establishments and the people behind them.

In 2007, when Lisa Wilson assumed ownership of Jamaican Jerk Hut, she was just 24 years old. Despite Wilson's youth, restaurant founder Nicola Shirley chose her successor because she felt the Overbrook native with Jamaican heritage would devote herself to being a dedicated caretaker of the South Street West restaurant.

Shirley had launched her Caribbean BYOB in 1994, deliberately choosing 1436 South St. instead of a storefront on West Philly's Jamaican-saturated 52nd Street corridor because of a burning desire to introduce island cuisine to a whole new audience. Also on fire: the hardwood charcoal in the kitchen's indoor brick fire pit - a unique accessory that's the source of the famous jerk chicken that still flies out the restaurant's front doors.

Originally take-away only, the Jerk Hut quickly expanded with service at picnic tables in the backyard patio, complemented by steel drums and live reggae that turned the grassy lot into a rocking destination on Friday and Saturday nights. The alfresco dining area even hit the big screen in 2005, as the final scene for the Cameron Diaz film In Her Shoes.

The patio was a boon for business, eventually contributing nearly three-quarters of its revenue.

Until it was shut down.

Just over a year after Wilson bought the restaurant, the condo association of the new Symphony House sued to stop the outdoor fun. Residents of the building complained about nighttime noise, even though their 32-story tower is more than two blocks away, near the corner of Broad and Pine.

For three years, Wilson fought the lawsuit, winning a variance from the zoning board and making concessions like cutting off live entertainment early, at 10 p.m. Eventually, the case was settled in mediation after Symphony House appealed to Commonwealth Court, but not before damage was done. Without the patio as a draw, the restaurant's revenue plummeted - while attorney's fees racked up.

Though she was tempted to give up, Wilson stuck it out, and eventually her luck began to change - somewhat. She reopened the outdoor seating in 2012, though the lot was sold to developers the very next year. (Apartments are being erected there right now).

By this time, however, the neighborhood had begun to evolve. Instead of a neglected sibling to a strip of tourist-happy blocks farther east, South Street West became a destination in its own right, with Jamaican Jerk Hut just one of many varied dining options beckoning hungry crowds. Then Guy Fieri showcased the shack's tropical food on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and sales began to climb.

Flashing a contagiously broad smile, Wilson described her quick journey from nursing home employee to meeting Nicola through a cousin to becoming owner of a restaurant. Narrating the story of her last eight years in business led her through more highs than lows - Fieri's great to cook with, turns out, and the PHS pop-up garden next door is helping drive business - and she's even exploring the idea of opening a second restaurant, probably somewhere in Delaware County.

Do you have a restaurant background?

After high school, I got a job in the kitchen of a nursing home, because that's where several people in my family had jobs. While I was working there, I decided to go to school for dietary management. After I graduated, I got a job at Har Zion Temple on the Main Line - I made lots of kugel and gefilte fish. I was originally hired as assistant manager, but then the person above me left just 2 or 3 months later. The temple was like, "You've got a big job coming up! You're our new kitchen manager." I was 21 years old.

How did you get from there to Jamaican Jerk Hut?

My cousin had been working here in the kitchen for Nicola Shirley, the original owner. In 2007, he told me she was looking to sell the business, and asked if I was interested. So I came over and met Nicola. She had decided to move back to Jamaica, where she's from, and open a restaurant there. It's a breakfast and brunch place on the beach, in Montego Bay.

Did it take you a long time to decide to buy?

There were a few other people interested, but Nicola wanted to sell it to someone who she felt would take care of her baby, because she had put so much into it. She spent almost a year training me, teaching me everything, and then said to me, "You proved that you will follow through and try to keep it the best it can be." Then I bought the business and she left.

Did you get a loan?

No loan - although it definitely wasn't cheap. My mom and my aunt helped me out. They have shares in the business, although I'm the majority owner. I was 24 when I took over. I do wish someone had warned me there's a lot more involved than just managing a temple kitchen.

What's the hardest part?

The hardest part was the ups and downs - because right after I bought it we had to go through a battle. We had live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, but we had to shut it down because Symphony House was fighting us. That was where most of the business came from, and at the same time I was paying for the attorney's fees. I was like, what did I get myself into! Get me out of this! It was rough. Business took a big slide. But I'm a fighter, and I'm determined. It takes a lot to bring me down.

Has business bounced back?

It is coming back. It's not where it was, but it's not the worst. We're above water. And now there's all these nice restaurants around here - it brings lots of foot traffic. And we get a lot of people who come here because of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

How did you get on the show?

They emailed me out of the blue. We were like, "Is this for real?" So we checked it out, and it was. You fill out all this paperwork, and then they tell you they'll let you know in a couple weeks. I was so fortunate - they ended up choosing my restaurant.

What happens during the filming?

Over the course of two days, the crew comes in and does a lot of background shooting. Just prep work and stuff. Then, on the third Day, Guy himself comes and cooks. He was a really fun guy. Teddy Hall, our chef, really enjoyed working with him - at first he was nervous, but Guy really loved his food.

What'd Fieri have?

The jerk chicken and the curry shrimp roti. Those are two of our top three best-sellers now, along with the oxtail.

Do you still use the same recipes Nicola did?

Same recipes. We're fortunate to have Teddy still here - he and his brother cooked for Nicola. For many years we also had one of the same prep cooks - Mr. Spence. They stayed on, so the food is still the same as it always was.

What's the process for the jerk chicken?

We make a jerk sauce from scratch, with a ton of ingredients. The chicken marinates in that overnight, then we grill it on our built-in jerk pit over an open fire. And Teddy refuses to use lighter fluid - instead he stands there and just fans the coals to get it to catch. It's great to have that pit in the kitchen, since we don't have to wait for a sunny day or warm weather to do real jerk cooking. Many other places just do it in the oven.

Do you have plans for the future?

Our plan is to grow. We're looking into opening a second location. We have a lot of customers from Delaware County who are always asking me to open something down there. It's an area without a lot of Jamaican food, so we've started searching for a spot. We're still very early in the process, though.

Jamaican Jerk Hut

1436 South St., 215-545-8644

Hours: 11 a.m to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m to midnight Friday and Saturday, 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday