We had the good fortune of connecting with Joy Booth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joy, before we get into your story, can you tell us what your favorite podcast is and what you like about it.
My favorite podcast is NPR’s “How I Built This with Guy Raz” because it showcases brands we use everyday and the innovators behind them. It highlights how they crafted their idea, how they secured funding and support, and how they grew their business model for the national stage.

What should our readers know about your business?
E.J. Wills Gastropub is a locally owned, family-operated restaurant that is dedicated to serving our community–from offering an exceptional dining experience to routinely supporting our local philanthropies. We have broad appeal to families, those on date night, those wanting to watch sports or listen live to local musicians, and business professionals looking for a comfortable and unique lunch or happy hour spot. We are unpretentious, devoted to customer service, and absolutely committed to offering our guests locally sourced, scratch cooking at its best. We like to think of our spot as a place “where friends and flavor come together” but we also know that the concept of a gastropub is not familiar to most. As a result, we often explain our restaurant as “a place to get gourmet grub in a pub!” We are proud of earning local distinction on “The 50 Best Burgers in N. Texas” list and earning international distinction from LUXlife Magazine with the “Best Gourmet Comfort Food 2019 – Collin County LUX Excellence Award for Outstanding Burgers” award. We have also been certified as the first and only restaurant in McKinney—and one of just twelve restaurants in all of Texas— by PlantPure Communities for our plant-based/vegan menu. Of utmost importance to us, however, is what we have been able to contribute to local philanthropies through our Guest Bartending Program. In its first year, this weekly program raised over $25,000 for more than 50 local organizations that provide direct care and comfort to foster children, abused women, the homeless, those needing mental health care, the aging, and the impoverished. Our guest bartender program has become a community staple for promoting awareness of these organizations’ missions and inviting guests to donate tips to the causes. At our neighboring concept, McKinney Coffee Company, we provide a warm and comfortable atmosphere for teleworking, business meetings, gathering with friends, and social events. We serve coffee, tea, a full lunch and dinner menu, cocktails, and specialty drinks. We also provide off-site catering and private event space, which is perfect for networking functions, presentations, bridal parties, baby showers, and wedding rehearsal dinners.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a friend were to visit McKinney, I’d take her around Stonebridge Ranch and show her the beach club and the many other wonderful amenities, such as the lovely golf courses and walking paths around Adriatica. I’d also highlight the downtown McKinney shopping area and the many lovely boutiques. I would round out the visit with a walk around our beautiful Towne Lake Park, and a trip to the Heard Natural Science Museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to send a shout out to the McKinney Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has been absolutely fundamental to the success of our networking and marketing efforts. We also appreciate the skill-building resources they share, the business showcases they organize, and the leadership development curriculum they sponsor.

Website: http://ejwillsgastropub.com/ and http://mckinneycoffeeco.com/
Instagram: @ejwillsgastropub and @mckinneycoffee
Twitter: @ejwillsgastro and @mckinneycoffee
Facebook: facebook.com/EJWillsGastropub/and facebook.com/mckinneycoffeeco/
Yelp: yelp.com/biz/e-j-wills-gastropub-mckinney and yelp.com/biz/mckinney-coffee-company-mckinney
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP9ntxiTGk9eZGiXtO_eQDQ

Image Credits
Lauren Palmer, The Art of Living Beautifully

Nominate someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.