Joker Joes story began when two brother-in-laws decided to aim high and believe in their dreams. Oscar “Jr” Tysinger, which everyone affectionately knew as Jr, used to work for Jim Smith selling fireworks in Tennessee. Jim made the agreement to help Jr open his own store in South Carolina if he worked hard and saved enough money. The rest is history…
They broke ground in 1977 and opened the doors to the public in 1978. Joker Joes is still family owned and operated to this day and has stood the test of time against all odds. Back in the 80‘s there was a case of arson which the entire building was burnt to the ground. It was rebuilt a year later to a larger truck stop and family restaurant. In the late 90’s the partnership was dissolved after the deaths of both partners. The Tysinger’s are now the sole owners to this day. In 1998 the store underwent a major reconstruction to change some of the amenities. They wanted to also appeal to the travelers visiting the lowcountry and heading to the beautiful beaches of Hilton Head Island, SC. That included changing the single family restaurant into a Huddle House and Wendy’s along with expanding on their souvenir store.
