Honey Bones, a restaurant that focuses on traditional Southern-style fried chicken and side dishes, took the place of Black Sheep this past summer near Marshall University’s campus. 

Olivia Zarilla, a junior print journalism and broadcast journalism double major, said she loves to go to Honey Bones because of its location. 

“I love to go to Honey Bones because it is right across from Smith Hall, which is where most of my classes are located. So, it is actually more convenient than walking to the Student Center, and it is about the same price,” Zarilla said.

Honey Bones cook Justin Jenkins shares similar sentiments with Zarilla, but through a hands-on work experience.

“Working at Honey Bones is really chill, it’s like working at a mom-and-pop type place, and it’s not hectic like a corporate restaurant,” Jenkins said.

Sometimes working at bigger corporate style restaurants the owners do not make personal connections with their employee’s, Jenkins said, but that is not the case at Honey Bones. 

“The owners really know their employees and keep an eye on what goes on in their restaurants so they run smoothly,” Jenkins said. “Working in bigger restaurants or chain restaurants kind of feels like you are just part of a machine, like they know you are an employee, but they don’t know your name or how you’re contributing. At Honey Bones, I feel like I am valued and the cooks and owners aren’t there just to make money, they genuinely care about the food and people and love what they are doing.” 

Honey Bones being close to campus allows students and faculty to take a break and get a bite to eat in-between classes.

“I usually sit down and eat because it is not very time-consuming, and if I have to get to class, I just take it with me,” Zarilla said. 

Zarilla said Honey Bones has an atmosphere where students can get away from campus for a bit, pull out a book or laptop and take time to study or find other ways to decompress without feeling rushed out as one might at other restaurants. 

Zarilla said Honey Bones also has great food, offering an array of sandwiches, chicken and waffles, salads and waffle fries. 

“My favorite thing to make is the waffle fry poutine,” Jenkins said. 

The owner of Honey Bones also owns Bahnhof, Black Sheep and the V-Club. All of these businesses are located in Huntington. 

“Throughout all those places, there is a resemblance in both the quality of the food and beer and the overall atmosphere,” Zarilla said. “While each place has something that makes it special, they are all welcoming, professional, relaxing and it is apparent the owner cared about the details to make them that way.”

Zarilla said she thinks all these businesses are relatively successful because, until several years ago, Huntington did not have a lot of options for different styles of cuisine. She also said there are not many places in the area with local artists, like at the V Club, so she thinks people enjoy those places because they bring the community together and expand it.

Anna Marsh can be contacted at [email protected].