New diner – JWray’z – opens in Theodosia


Owners Jacinda Hurst and Gesse Scheinert

A new Theodosia diner, JWray’z Family Restaurant, is serving up all-day breakfast and lunch at its location in front of Cash Saver Pantry on Highway 160 in Theodosia. The restaurant opened Feb. 21 and is currently open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The name JWray’z came from a combination of owner Gesse Scheinert’s nickname “J Rae,” paired with his fiancee’s name, Jacinda Rae Hurst. “J Rae and Jaci Rae just kind of flowed together, so we named it after the both of us,” Schienert told the Times. Scheinert says he’s been cooking all his life, including working the last two years at Branson’s popular singer-server restaurant Mel’s Hard Luck Diner, where he met Jacinda. While working at Mel’s, the pair dreamed of opening their own restaurant. That dream began to materialize when a property in Theodosia, seemed to fit the bill. “Theodosia is my hometown, and when the opportunity presented itself [to open JWray’z], we jumped on it,” Scheinert said. Both Scheinert and Hurst will be working at JWray’z along with Scheinert’s mother, Patricia Rinehart. Scheinert’s uncle, George Colston, helped remodel the building.

Ozark County Times

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