A Food Network star and retired professional wrestler worked the room over burgers at a sneak peek event last week for a new Peachtree Corners restaurant opening its doors Wednesday.
With a successful restaurant in Duluth, Willie Jack Degel, host of reality television show Restaurant Stakeout, is bringing another location of Uncle Jack’s Meat House to Gwinnett County after nearly three years of planning.
Located in Peachtree Corners’ Town Center, the restaurant will offer reservation-only service Wednesday through Sunday, later opening full-time every day of the week after hiring nearly 30 employees. Built to mimic the appearance of a 1900s warehouse in New York’s Meatpacking District, the bar and grill can seat up to 225 customers at once.
Offering all of its mainstay items available at other locations, the Peachtree Corners restaurant also features dishes inspired by the city’s character and history.
These dishes include “The Duke,” a burger with dry-aged meat, fresh Georgia peach jam, house-made peanut butter and maple bacon on a brioche bun. It’s named after Paul Duke, the “father” of the city who helped Peachtree Corners on its course to becoming a technology hub.
“I want to bond with the community and become part of their everyday routine,” said Degel, who currently owns seven restaurants across the U.S. “I believe what we bring – the brand, power, design, structure, systems and the way we run it – changes the neighborhood and we become a badge of honor for the city.”
While Degel renovated an existing space for his Duluth restaurant, his new location was built from the ground up, giving him room to build a larger kitchen and an outdoor bar.
In addition to its dining room, bar and patio, patrons can make a reservation for a 16-seat private suite named after Ric Flair, the famous WWE professional wrestler. Flair, who lives in Lawrenceville, became close friends with Degel after frequenting his Duluth restaurant, Degel said.
“I’ve always been inspired by Rick’s larger-than-life entertaining style personality,” Degel said. “I dedicated the private suite to him, because he was a 16-time (WWE) world champion, and we have a bond. We’re looking to maybe develop a Ric Flair-style restaurant and open them together as well.”
Born in New York, Degel said he decided to plant business roots in Georgia after visiting a friend about 13 years ago. He opened restaurants in Alpharetta, Duluth and Roswell, drawn by the high number of foodies who live in the South.
Degel plans to keep continue opening restaurants in Georgia and the South, including Uncle Jack’s Tavern in downtown Lawrenceville this fall.
“In the next couple of years, I can employ almost 1,000 people in Georgia, and I take great pride in that,” Degel said. “That’s always been one of my goals, coming from a little, hardworking lower middle class family in Queens.”
Degel opened his first restaurant in New York in 1990. He later hosted Restaurant Stakeout in 2012, in which he monitored restaurants through hidden cameras, helping their owners provide better customer service.
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