On a cozy Saturday morning, JoJo’s Biscuit Company is already a packed house, suggesting the food is worth the hype. Every mustard-yellow booth is full, and the smell of fresh coffee and warm cinnamon rolls is satisfying. The vibe is “college brunch with style”: a little industrial, a little cozy, a lot of personality. Colorful pop-esque art is displayed on the walls. It seems as if every table is covered with plates — the menu offers such a plethora of dishes that it’s hard to pick just one.
After squeezing into a small table near the window, the perfect people-watching spot, I order what I’ve been told is the house favorite: the cinnamon roll, plus a Cookie Butter Latte (because “cookie butter” is a signature flavor).
Our waitress, Avery, beams as she drops off our drinks. The staff members are clad in logoed gray shirts and blue jeans, and there’s a kind of cheerful rhythm among them that is efficient and playful. Behind the counter, the griddle is sizzling, and another order for pancake flights has been placed.
Yes, pancake flights. There are multiple flavors, and you can substitute among them. Our waitress recommends the lemon blueberry pancake with the house-made sweet cream.
When asking around the room “What’s your favorite order?” I hear the Sierra Blanca Burrito, a hearty wrap stuffed with eggs, chorizo, and hashbrowns that hits every comfort-food note imaginable. We end up ordering the JoJo’s Special, which comes with eggs, biscuits and gravy, and breakfast potatoes, and the Coca-Cola Carnitas Breakfast Tacos. Both dishes are fulfilling, and we have to get to-go boxes. Another customer says, “Order the Couch Potato if you really want to eat a hearty meal.”
For the Love of Family Meals
Later that week, I interview Jason Paetzold, the owner behind JoJo’s Biscuit Company and its smoky sibling across town, Bud’s Classic BBQ.
When I ask what inspired the names, he tells me both involve family stories. “Bud’s is named after my grandfather. Some of my best memories as a kid were family get-togethers — we’d all work hard during the week, then sit down together on Sundays for a meal,” Paetzold says. “We didn’t go out much, so when my grandpa took me to the ‘coffee shop,’ it stuck with me.”
Bud’s is the restaurant he built in that memory’s honor — a blend of Texas and Kansas City BBQ, opened in August 2021. But JoJo’s, he tells me, is even more personal.
“My dad’s name was Joe,” Paetzold explains. “He died in a plane crash on Christmas Day when I was in high school. My son was born on Christmas Eve — we named him Joey after my dad. When he was little, I called him ‘JoJo.’ So JoJo’s is both of them — my dad and my son.”
He pauses, then adds, “Every Saturday, I’d take my boy out for pancakes. It became our thing. I wanted JoJo’s to feel like that, like a place you go to share a meal, make memories, and start a tradition.”
From Biscuits to BBQ
If JoJo’s is the bright, biscuit-filled morning, Bud’s Classic BBQ is the smoke-tinged evening dinner. The interior is dark and industrial — think Edison bulbs, metal barstools, and a menu scrawled in marker on brown kraft paper.
The vibe is straightforward and unpretentious, the kind of place where people belly up to the bar, trade stories, and stay for one more beer.
My order: the Sloppy Swine, a specialty sandwich stacked with pulled pork, fried onion straws, and chipotle BBQ sauce, with a side of creamy mac and cheese. It’s everything barbecue should be — smoky, tangy, and unapologetically messy.
Paetzold says his go-to at Bud’s is the brisket, “Or honestly, the smash burger — people don’t expect a BBQ place to have one that good.”
Bud’s offers a full range of delicious options: smoked meats by the tray, smash burgers, “smoke-fried” wings, and sides that taste like they came straight out of a family reunion. It’s clear this menu wasn’t built in a test kitchen; it was built around the grill, with flavor and comfort as the top priorities.
The Heart of Columbia
What surprised Paetzold most about launching both spots, he notes, is the community’s response.
“We opened Bud’s with zero advertising,” he says. “None. And the Columbia community just showed up for us. We’ve been especially lucky to work with the university — hosting student athletes, recruiting meals, and events. When we opened JoJo’s, we tried to do it quietly, but the same thing happened — people just came.”
He adds, “We’re really thankful. You can’t plan that kind of support.”
Next on the Menu
And Paetzold’s not done yet. Along with his business partner, Jim Yankee, he’s working on two new Columbia concepts — both, of course, inspired by family.
Ciabattoni’s, an Italian restaurant bearing Yankee’s grandmother’s maiden name, will serve handmade pasta and prime steaks. After that, Rosie’s Tortilla Company, named after Paetzold’s grandmother Rose, will bring a family-friendly Tex-Mex spot to town in early 2026.
“Every one of our concepts connects back to family and shared meals,” Paetzold says. “It’s all about experiences — that’s what people remember.”
Comfort Food
It’s easy to see why both JoJo’s and Bud’s have become fast favorites in Columbia. Both are built on the same foundation: great food, heartfelt stories, and a commitment to making every guest feel like part of the family.
