The New England-based chain, Not Your Average Joe’s, continued its expansion down the East Coast, opening its newest location on Feb. 23 in Suburban Square in Ardmore. This is the company’s second restaurant in Pennsylvania, following Glen Mills, and its first on the Main Line.  

“When I joined the company there were two restaurants,” said Jaime Strobino, Senior Vice President of Operations and Human Resources. “Now there are 22. As one more piece in a successful adventure in Pa., I hope for great success for the Ardmore location, and that the neighborhood embraces us as we hope they will.”  

Formerly the Vice President of International Operations at Hard Rock Café, Strobino left the chain to join Steven Silverstein, founder and CEO of NYAJoe’s, in bringing the vision for the restaurant to life.  

“It was similar to Hard Rock in the way of values and commitment of the people and a great work environment,” Strobino said. “But I see a greater focus on the culinary side at NYAJoe’s.”  

While every restaurant prides itself on preparing meals from scratch, each location’s menu is tailored to its local area. The N.Y. strip steak and scallops with bacon couscous are just two of the local specialties only available at the Ardmore location.

However, specialty dishes are not the only distinctive features of the new location. For the past 10 months, the 49 St. James Place space that housed the Suburban Theater for over 40 years underwent a complete transformation.  

Each location varies slightly in architecture and design, but the Ardmore location takes this to a new level with its two-story seating arrangement, including two full bars, an outside patio that seats 80 and a balcony overlooking the open-style kitchen. One of the most distinguishing features of the restaurant is the movie theater-sized screen and accompanying projector in the center of the dining room.  

“We wanted to celebrate its history,” Strobino said.  

The 40-year-old vintage projector shows old-fashioned films in black-and-white, spanning from the 1940s to 1980s, bringing a bit of nostalgia for guests along with a creative spin on the restaurant’s décor.  

The company also proudly supports its Not Your Average Cause program where a new charity is selected each month to become the recipient of fundraising from the restaurant.  

“We like to support local causes and charities and strive to help in every way we can,” Strobino said.  

The Ardmore location has already jumpstarted its fundraising efforts by promising to donate all proceeds raised during the grand opening celebrations to the Cathy Miller Cancer Fund, a local non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for cancer research. The Ardmore location has also selected the Cathy Miller Fund as the NYACause for the months of March.  

NYAJoe’s is now open for business, offering a wide range of delicious lunch and dinner options for every pallet. Order online or by phone.