Buy Local: Social Station Opens in Henderson
Welcome to the neighborhood, Social Station!
By Stacey Gualandi
This new happenin’ hang in Henderson is the restaurant locals didn’t know they needed. After just one month, people are pulling in in droves.
Social Station offers an intimate space, elevated comfort food and al fresco dining in a convenient location. (As an added twist, the menu features specialty craft cocktails named after nearby communities like The Inspirada and Seven Hills).
For owner Kelley Jones, his concept was simple. “We want to make it for those hundreds of thousands of people who live within a two-mile radius,” Jones says. We want it to be a place—hence the name Social Station—where people could come over and over again. It’s the modern-day Cheers, if you will, where everybody knows your name.”
With a rich background as a former chef, restaurateur and consultant, Jones has significantly impacted the hospitality industry. He’s also the founding partner of Leverage Hospitality Group, which recently opened Emmitt’s Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip with Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. Social Station is his 109th restaurant opening.
Kelley Jones, Steve Mannino, and Todd Parmelee – Leverage Hospitality Group Founders
Kelley Jones, Owner, Social Station
“Our unofficial tagline is ‘For Locals by Locals’ because we wanted to create a space to go to,” he says. “We” refers to Jones and his Leverage Hospitality Group friends and partners, Steve Mannino and Todd Parmelee, who live nearby. Like a good neighbor, Jones made his latest venue accessible, affordable and approachable.
“I went around for about two weeks with a pad and paper asking everybody two questions: ‘What’s your go-to comfort food?’ and, “If you see something on a menu, no matter where you go, what item do you always order?'”
Head Chef Jake Aceto used that input to craft a menu that offers “something for everyone, whether you’re craving familiar favorites or eager to explore new flavors.”
I ordered my frequent favorite, pan-roasted salmon, but I went out of my comfort zone with the carrot hummus and crispy Korean cauliflower. (That was a good call!)
For Jones, there is a secret sauce to his ongoing success. “The product’s gotta be great, where you’re sourcing it and how you’re getting it. The next is what I call ‘the energy’ of the room, made up of the design, the decor, the music and the lighting,” Jones says of its vintage Vegas Prohibition vibe. But the most important piece is the hospitality, the warm, personal, engaging service.”
This self-described “capitalist hippie” says he prefers a friendly, less-structured style, with an emphasis on the team behind the brand. “The food is subjective. I can make something perfect, and you might not like it, where hospitality isn’t subjective,” Jones says. “Maya Angelou’s quote,’ I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’ is what Social Station is all about.”
So, with 109 restaurant openings under his belt, is Jones ready to relax and dine locally? He says no; retirement isn’t on the menu. “I hope at the end of our careers we can be known for a quality product and making people feel good,” Jones says. “That’s what we do. We sell an experience.”
Very neighborly of you, Kelley Jones!
For more information, go to www.socialstationlv.com.
