Jason's Burgers

Hot Springs staple Jason’s Burgers N More offers an extensive menu of some of the best fare in the Spa City, and after 14 years of business has recently changed ownership. If you are a longtime fan of the joint, don’t worry, not much is changing. If you’ve never tried it … then what on Earth are you waiting for?

Jason’s Burgers N More has been a dining legend in Hot Springs, Ark., for 14 years. Locals, vacationers and passers-through know it as the spot to find not only the best burger in town, but also great seafood, steaks, ribs, barbecue and much more.
Jason’s is a come-as-you-are establishment, where customers can feel comfortable coming straight from a long day at the lake or for a special occasion. The interior is far from pretentious, with an eclectic dÉcor of collected items — from fishing gear and antlers to neon signs — tacked to the wood plank walls. It is the nostalgia, charm and well-crafted menu that keeps the parking lot on Amity Road full. Restaurateur Lee Beasley and business partner/best friend Brian Reis purchased the diner in October 2009 from proprietors Paul and Rosie Davis. Beasley has had a hand in many establishments in Hot Springs, including the popular Fisherman’s Wharf. He and Reis discussed the possibility of going in together on a business for many years before they realized the potential of Jason’s.

“My wife and I have been coming here for years,” Reis said. “One evening after dinner, the parking lot was so full and so jammed up that we couldn’t even get out, and it dawned on me. I called Lee and told him that we ought to buy Jason’s. Five weeks later we closed on the deal.” The partners are approaching the new business venture with an “if-it-ain’t-broke” mentality — much to the restaurant’s regulars’ relief. “The first thing everyone wants to know is if we are changing the menu,” Reis said. “We didn’t change the menu at all. You’d be crazy to change anything about Jason’s.” All of the restaurant’s menu items were developed and perfected by Rosie Davis. “Really the story of Jason’s is the story of Rosie. Everything we do here came from Rosie’s original recipes. So much of the credit for the place really goes to her.”

The only difference, which has probably gone unnoticed by most, is the subtle name change in the dropping of the “Burgers N More” from the restaurant’s name. “We just want to ease out of the burgers a little bit. We want people to realize that we are so much more than just burgers. We have fantastic steaks and seafood, and there is really no great place for anyone to get a steak in Hot Springs. We want to be that place,” Beasley said. A lot of the business Jason’s gets is from visitors to the Spa City. From the opening of racing season in January through the summer lake season, people from as far away as Memphis, Tulsa and Dallas come though Hot Springs, according to Beasley.

“These people come into a new town, and they don’t want to go to chain restaurants like the Red Lobster, they want to see what is new and unique that the town has to offer. I think this is a place that appeals to those people. It is a fun restaurant that serves great food.”

We agree whole-heartedly with Beasley. We sampled a variety of crowd-pleasing dishes, all of which made fresh and from scratch. The bacon cheeseburger was a hearty hunk of beef topped with bacon and cheddar and fully dressed with all the fixings. Big eaters will be happy to find the Monster Burger; eat the entire one-and-a-half-pound cheeseburger, and get your picture on the wall. We sampled a variety of seafood, including the grilled catfish, fried jumbo shrimp and fried gulf oysters. Each was fresh, flavorful and delicious. EntrÉes from the Off the Grill menu are served over a bed of sautÉed vegetables and a choice of two sides. Ask your server about nightly specials, which vary and include: prime rib; crab legs; boiled or fried shrimp; homemade tamales; fried chicken; and rib eye steak.

And whatever you do, do not leave Jason’s without trying a piece of their top-selling, made-from-scratch pecan cream cheese pie known to the locals as “Surprise Pie.” It’s rich, delicious and virtually impossible to leave even one bite on the plate.
Tue. through Sun., 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.