Jay Bee's

320 Mocksville Highway, Statesville, NC - (704) 872-8033

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Posted By Michael Stern on 7/27/2007 9:35:00 AM

Foot-long hot dogs topped with mustard, onions, chili, and slaw … beautiful, giant-size hamburgers dressed to the hilt with cheese fries and battered onion rings on the side … hand-chopped barbecue sandwiches decorated with slaw: Put these menu items together with a brash, drive-through (and dine-in) operation, and you have a truly all-American eatery. Jay Bee’s feels like fast food squared, and yet signs throughout the sprawling establishment warn that because everything is made to order, some items will require a wait.

In this place, a “wait” means about three minutes before your number is called over the loud speaker system, meaning your tray is ready to be toted to a table inside or on the patio out back (known as Jay-Bee’s Outback). At peak mealtimes, the big wait is the long line of cars at the drive-through window, where Iredell County natives come to buy a quick dashboard lunch or a party meal for twelve people.

Hot dog highlights range from the wonderfully simple foot-long with cheese (and, of course, chili and slaw) to such specialties as the Prairie Dog with dark-hued barbecue sauce, cheese, and onions and the “Northerners’ Fancy” Kraut Dog with sauerkraut and mustard. There are all-beef dogs which, although delicious, seem out-of-context here in pork country, and ninety-nine cent corn dogs for kids.

Although Jay-Bee’s pride is hot dogs, hamburgers are very impressive. Available in quarter-pound or half-pound configurations, they are hand-formed from daily-ground beef and sizzled to appealing succulence, particularly good when dressed with a heap of sauteed onions.

The beverage menu ranges from sweet tea and milk shakes to Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew; and if you dine inside, a refill of any soda is free. One quart size drinks – yes, thirty-two ounces – are available at the drive-through window.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

fully dressed foot-long	"Ole Fashion" burger
prairie dog

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"The Prairie Dog: topped with barbecue sauce, chopped onions, and cheese"
Michael Stern

"The smoked sausage comes dressed with mustard and sauteed onions and has a great smoky flavor."
Cliff Strutz

"A sign on Jay Bee's wall"
Michael Stern

"Jay Bee's menu notes which dishes take extra time. In this place, extra time means three minutes' wait instead of one."
Michael Stern

"At lunchtime, cars line up for window service. There are seats indoors, too, as well as an outdoor patio."
Michael Stern