JOPLIN, Mo. —
When Donna Moss, who works in the newsroom, laid the news release on my desk, I smiled. At the same time, I thought, “Well, it’s about time.”
The news release, from the nice folks with the Southwest Chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association, told me that Floyd and Jacqueline Hackett have received the 2011 Restaurateur of the Year award. Floyd and Jacqueline opened their restaurant — Hackett Hot Wings — in 2003. For five years, the Hacketts sold their wings out of a tiny building on Langston Hughes-Broadway. I, along with a host of other folks, loved the original location. It had a cozy, neighborhood feeling, something that Floyd and Jacqueline were looking for when they decided to move from Memphis, Tenn., to Joplin.
Almost immediately, the Hacketts’ wings began drawing loyal devotees to the small building. Floyd said he figured he was doing something right when he began seeing repeat business.
“Not only would they come back, but they would bring two or three of their friends,” he said.
And then those friends would return with more friends, and before long Hackett’s was on the culinary map.
In 2008, Floyd and Jacqueline decided it was time to take their business to another level, so they moved their restaurant to 520 S. Main St. The new building allowed the Hacketts to greatly expand their business. While the old location would struggle to seat 30 customers, the Main Street location comfortably seats 80 to 90 folks, with room on the second floor for larger groups. And believe me, large groups tend to flock to Hackett Hot Wings.
The new location also allowed Floyd and Jacqueline to decorate their place in Beale Street style. The decor sort of shouts out Memphis, particularly the area around the city’s famed Beale Street. The new location also allowed Floyd to expand his kitchen and to churn out more wings than ever before, which is a good thing because they continue to attract new customers.
On Thursday afternoon, I asked Floyd and Jacqueline if they thought back in 2003 that they would someday be named Joplin’s Restaurateur of the Year. The couple laughed.
“I didn’t even know what it (the award) was; I didn’t know anything except wings,” Floyd said.
About those wings: They are good, is what they are. My wife’s favorite is the “Honey” wings. Our 14-year-old daughter is partial to the “Season” wings, and I tend to favor the “Hot” and “Smokin’ Hot.” But I’m also fond of the “Jerk” and the “Cajun” rubs, and the “Beer” and “Suicide” wings. Actually, I like all the wings, and no matter what I order, we wind up sharing, something Floyd says is pretty common.
Meanwhile, Floyd will meet with the company that is working on bottling his sauces and packaging his rubs for widespread distribution. It’s a dicey deal, Floyd said, to take a sauce recipe and convert it for mass production. Right now, the company is working on Floyd’s “Hot & Honey” sauce.
“He’s got it about a nine (out of 10), but it needs to be a 12,” Floyd said.
Once the sauces and rubs are perfected, they will be available on the Internet, Floyd said.
One other thing. If you’re thinking about having Hackett wings for the Super Bowl, you had better order now. Orders and time slots are going fast, and when they are gone no other orders will be taken. See, when you sell 6,000 to 8,000 wings on Super Bowl Sunday, you have to have a system.
You may call 417-625-1333 if you would like to place an order. Orders must be paid by Feb. 3 and picked up on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5.
Better hurry.
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