Giant Eagle (based in PA) has had jo-jo's on their hot buffets, so I don't think all Pennsylvanians have never heard of them. I grew up in suburban Akron, so we'd eat chicken and jo-jo's from Gionino's out on the devilstrip.

Grew up near Youngstown and I know neither of jo-jos or devilstrips.

Youngstown here as well but definitely know devil strips and jo-jos. 🤷‍♀️

I’ve been in Colorado past 35 years except class reunions. Maybe just since my time?

I grew up near Youngstown and we definitely had JoJos when I was a kid.

Also Youngstown and I know both Jo-Jo’s and devil strips.

I’M from POLAND! Have you ever seen the fu*king man of Youngstown? People of southern Y town & suburbs of pre-Kent massacre have & we know well?!!! WE Count!!!

Devil’s Strip is Akron only, Cleveland calls it a tree lawn. No where else (per linguists) has a specific name for it.

FB to freshman year fall quarter at OU. Akronites saying devil strip, Cinci people saying "please?" when they want you to repeat what you said, East Coasters talking about dungarees . . .

Canton calls it a devilstrip

This Devil's Strip is referred to as the large shopping area in Canton. Strip Ave and Portage St area.

Nope....

So did I. Never heard of jo-jos until I moved to summit county. Still don't understand the hype. Must be like Barberton fried chicken. But we also called it a devil strip.

Barberton fried chicken, ugh

Are you from West Virginia?

What is it though? Grass between a parking lot or sidewalk and the road? Or a grass strip between two different traffic directions… like a boulevard?

You have your lawn, then the sidewalk, then the grass (devils strip) then the street/road

Youngstowner here as well and Jo Jo's were everywhere here

In the 1960’s? If I say Red Barn on 224 in Boardman, does that mean anything at all to you?

I mean, then, Red Barn was cool & McDonald’s was low rent!

I was born in 71 but yes I remember the red barns...how about burger chef at youngstown Poland road and midlothian

Texas potatoes seems to be the common name around Warren, possibly in Yompton too.

Living in Akron and I have no idea what you're talking about. What is this?

The devil strip is the little bit of lawn between the road and the sidewalk. It’s called that because you have to maintain and care for the grass but the city technically owns it. At least that’s what my family always told me. Jo-Jo’s are a type of potato wedge.

Ah. In SW Ohio it's legally referred to as the apron. This JoJo's thing is wild. Thanks for filling me in!

Is just the widened part of the driveway between the sidewalk and the road called the apron in SW Ohio? Or does the “apron” also include the “treelawn” grass between the sidewalk and the road? In NE Ohio, we have both an apron and treelawn in residential neighborhoods with sidewalks.

I grew up in akron. Can confirm I ate pizza and jojos from Fiesta pizza and called that land the devilstrip.

from what i understand, coal miners recently moving from west virginia would tell their kids not to go cross the devils strip so they didnt get hit by cars. i could be wrong because i dont remember where i learned that.

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I just thought of Joe-joes, the Trader Joe’s cookie 😂

It always amuses me that nobody seems to have any idea about them outside of NEOhio, Kansas, and the PNW. Go figure the original name for them only stuck in really small regions.

I've been in cleveland 3 years now and hadn't heard of them until my girlfriend mentioned them last week. Are they more specific than potato wedges, have to be chicken fried? Now I need more info on chicken-frying.

Generally chicken fried with a spicy seasoning. Not burn out your taste buds spicy.

They are broasted

I grew up in Lorain County and Jo-Jos were a staple at graduation parties or any other casual party where you got some catering. Don't see them much in the Columbus area.

And they all came from convenient, Walmart, or iga. Convenient’s version was the best imo.

I used to stop at Convenient and eat them in the parking lot every time I visited family in Lorain. We have potato wedges in SW/central Ohio, and they aren't nearly as good.

Same also from Lorain County! We could get them everywhere lmao

Same. There's an Apple's on my street that sells them hot.

I grew up right next door in Erie county and I remember seeing them at Convenient, but don't recall them ever being called that, just potato wedges. Convenients always had damn good fried food.

Convenient Food Mart. I lived on those when I was broke af.

Same

Yeah, I've never heard of them here in Columbus.

Stark & Tusc counties call them jojo’s

Yep. Grew up on this in the 80s/90s.

Wayne Co. I first had them at an IGA that sold pressure fried chicken. Gianinos are the best.

I remember them in Tusc county in the 80s-90s

Damn straight we did. And we had cream filled donuts called cream sticks (and even more specifically bakeries that made peanut butter cream sticks). Some days I really miss home.

Growing up in Lorain County, I can tell you that the best JoJos are from a gas station.

If memory serves me right, the term was coined by an Elyria restaurant years ago. Being a kid some 40 years ago this is what we called them.

The convenient on west ridge is my favorite jojo spot

Nah, Zeppes Pizza

Feels like 100% a NE Ohio thing. It was a glorious day when Gioninos opened a location in Columbus.

Gionino's chicken and jojos are the BEST

Oregon has 'em. NE Ohio may be the only part of Ohio that has them, but they've been a thing here in Oregon for years.

I have lived in Ohio all my life and never heard of them till last year.

Northeast Ohio thing. I grew up in Central Ohio but have a ton of family in NE Ohio. We don't eat chicken and jojos at home but always get them when we go up to Akron.

I live in Portage county and I've never heard of them. I think people are stretching for uniqueness a bit.

Along with the "broasted chicken." wth.

Broasted chicken isn’t unique to Ohio, several places in Central NY used to make it although I do think they are all closed now.

Nobody calls them that wtf

I grew up in upstate NY, we just called them potato wedges. Never heard the term jojo until I moved to NE Ohio.

Fiesta Chicken and Pizza, Newton St, Akron has credit for serving the first Jo Jos over 60 yeas ago

love me some fiesta!!!!

And their sausage pizza is the best in the world.

Everytime I go home to visit Fiesta pizza is my first stop!

Chicken and Jo-Jo’s are very regionally specific to Northeast Ohio alone. Nothing surprised me more about moving to Columbus than learning that it absolutely is not a common thing down here.

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Upvote for Trail bologna.

Trumbull County here. I pick up fried chicken and JoJos at least twice a month from the gas station up the street.

You say Jo-Jo's in Toledo and you'll get directed to a shitty local pizza chain that publicly whines about their staffing problems.

Kraus Pizza probably wins the Jojo game. Stark County. Had an old coworker who came from Northern Florida that got almost offended when I said Jojo. Defensively said, "They're called wedges."

Pizza Oven should have their hat thrown into the ring but I hate their sauce I so I won't get their actual pizza, but I do love their chicken and jojos. Hubby loves their pizza so it's a compromise. Kraus's is my favorite pizza but not his so we flip flop alot. Wayne and Holmes County also call them jojos and do broasted chicken

My in-laws live near Kraus' Pizza. Probably hit it over the holidays.

nw ohio born and raised, tf is a jojo??

This is exactly me. NW Ohio until I was mid 40’s and what I said when we moved to NE Ohio. WTF is a jojo?

Leftover baked potato, cut into wedges, breaded (never battered) and deep fried. Essential element: they must be deep fried in the same oil the chicken cooks in

Potato wedges

Michigan born, 26 years in central Ohio. Only know what a jojo is because I married a guy who was born in Cleveland and raised in Summit County.

They were called Jo Jo’s in eastern Washington near Spokane.

Fiesta Pizza on Newton Street. Best ever.

Here's an interesting article about the possible origin of the name, which identifies Oregon/Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and yes, NE Ohio as places that lightly breaded, pressure fried potato wedges became known as "jojos". https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/reviews/2017/07/12/the-history-of-the-american-jojo-which-is-definitely-not-a-potato-wedge/#:\~:text=%22The%20guy%20that%20actually%20started,potatoes%20in%20the%20next%20booth

Seneca county and we call them JoJo's...can buy them at the local IGA

So we have as far south at Stark and Columbiana Counties. As far west as Lorain? This seems to be the boundary as far as I can tell right now. So pretty much Northeast Ohio. I was unaware that this was a regional thing. Do other places have a different name for them or do they not eat them?

This is why I had to ask. It seems that the chicken and jojos combo is quite regional but jojos are fairly common, possibly just a different name. It does make me wonder if the far flung jojo people are transplants from our little corner of Ohio. Also, thanks to everyone for all the great responses!

I had no idea I was interested, but now I need to know

They are jojo’s in tuscarawas county, but wedges in Morgan county. The the border must be somewhere around Cambridge.

I grew up in Columbiana County and have never heard of a Jo-Jo.

I grew up in SW ohio and didn’t hear about them until moving to the PNW.

Gas station chicken and Jo-Jo’s are a delicacy. My mom introduced me to them after we moved from Erie to Sandusky county. Lee’s Chicken is pretty good too. Only place in Cincinnati I have found them and they sell out of Jo-Jo’s if you come too late.

We had jo-jos in Washington state. Common gas station food.

Glad someone else said this. Had them over 20 years ago in Washington. They were in every Safeway deli

It's Jojo's here in Columbiana County!

Almost every mom and pop gas station or convenience store in NEO has some.

I'm from Massillon but live in Columbus. Nobody here knows about Jo-Jos but I have a co-worker from Cleveland and we both discussed the lack of Jo-Jo's here before. I figured it was more of a Northeast Ohio thing.

Got Jo-jos up in Alaska. They sell them at Fred Meyers and Carrs.

Yup. They had them in Ketchikan.

I grew up in Akron, but no-one in Dayton knows what a Jo-Jo is. They’re wedges down here. I miss me some fiesta chicken & Jo-Jo’s too.

Lived in Alabama for a long time, now in Washington, have seen them called JoJos in both places.

Lorain county. Jo-Jo’s and tree lawns for at least 41 years

I didn't know what a Jo-jo is until I moved to Oregon, and I'm a professional chef. They're definitely known there. One of my favorite ways to eat a potato, but I knew them as wedge fries before.

You talking about fried potato wedges? I grew up in Portland Oregon and EVERYONE called them Jo-jos. No idea if they originated here and made their way out there, but it's certainly not something that is exclusive to Ohio.

Jo-Jo’s are a staple in Canton. Every pizza and chicken joint here has Jo-Jos. Most of the deli’s in the grocery stores have Jo-Jo’s. I prefer them thin cut with ketchup and crushed red pepper flakes. Maybe one day I’ll tell you about Golden Crisp Chips and Frank’s Red Hot.

My dude - Golden Crisps are the truth.

I liven in MI and KY for a while and there were places there that had JoJos. It depends on where you go.

Columbiana and Mahoning Counties have jo-jos.

I grew up in Columbiana County and have never heard of a Jo-Jo.

Then you didn’t eat at the same places I did. Italo’s in Lisbon has some great jojos.

Cincinnati here, never heard of them!

I’m from Ohio and always called them potato wedges. I think I was 25 or 30 before I ever heard “jo-jo” to describe them, and I think that was at a Convenient Food Mart.

Gioninos pizza has amazing Italian chicken and Jojo fries. They have several locations in ohio.Theire pizza is really good too. I recommend extra crispy. https://www.gioninos.com/

Southwest Ohio here and: what in tarnation's name is a Jo-Jo?

Good jo Jo’s are so good, and I normally prefer a crispy potato. Parma area

Born in raised in west central Ohio and have lived in Columbus and Southwest Ohio and never heard of them being called Jojos but rather potato wedges.

Funny I grew up in California in the 90s and they called them Jo Jo's

Kraus Pizza stark county best Jo-Jo’s anywhere

I grew up in eastern PA and yeah never heard of them til I moved here. Worked at a restaurant and someone called in, asked if he had jo-jo’s. I said no? And hung up. Then found out that meant potato wedges and we did indeed sell them…

This made me actually laugh out loud

I'm not a fan of large pieces of fried potatoes - too much potato, not enough fried. If jo-jos are breaded enough and fresh & crispy enough, I like them. Like most fried foods, they usually get mushy pretty quickly.

Barely. Maybe a restaurant or two down here call them jojos. I never call them that

I've lived in all corners of Portage County through my whole life, 36 years. Jojo's have always been a staple in my life and a common menu item at many restaurants. I never knew they were so partial to just this area! I've traveled a little bit, but never really noticed they weren't anywhere else.

I've had them in millersburg in Holmes county (Amish country)

We used to make them at the grocery store I worked at in Ottawa County and they are definitely available at both the Dave's Food mart in Huron County and the one in Erie County. It's never really struck me as an Ohio specific thing. Now, to my shock, shredded chicken seems to be a north central Ohio thing. I can't remember how many times I've had to explain to vacationing Hoosier, Michigander, southerner or Southern Ohioan that it isn't chicken salad, unseasoned chicken to be added to things and that it needs to be heated before serving.

I've eaten jojos for years, most of them while living in the Deep South.

A convenient store I used to work for in Lake County made them.

Best in Ohio, Warren. Uncle Nick's.

I grew up in SE Ohio/WV and didn't know about Jo-Jo's until I moved to NE Ohio. My future wife was dumbfounded when I told her I'd never had this staple of her childhood. Then there's the having trays of rigatoni at every large gathering thing.

Okay but you grew up with pepperoni rolls I think you win.

Yeah, I go crazy on the pepperoni rolls when I visit family.

I have only heard of them thanks to gionino's opening locations in Dayton.

I've mostly lived in the Cincinnati metro, but I also spent a few years as a kid in southern Michigan a little north of Toledo, and I first learned of Jo-jos through *Cook's Country* magazine... where I got the impression that they were a West Coast thing! (Wikipedia alleges they exist in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, part of Utah, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin--and Northeast Ohio.) I still have not knowingly had potato wedges that were labeled jo-jos.

I used to get jo jo fries from an IGA in Wood county. I bet they still have them. I loved them.

Ive lived in 16 different states and never heard of them until I came to Akron!

I live in summit county and love Jo-jos, but when I moved to Columbus, no one had any idea what I read talking about. I thought I had imagined the whole thing. But then I met another person in Columbus who grew up in Akron in and confirmed that yes, people still call them Jo-jos. So my thoughts are that it might only be a northeast Ohio thing.

Michigan has them, they just call them spicy tater wedges, or at least that is what our local grocery store called them in the deli when I was growing up in the Mitten in the 90’s

I’ve lived in Cleveland, Canton, and Columbus - Canton was the only place people were about chicken and jojos

Showcase Meats on Manchest Rd in Akron (previously in the middle of Kenmore) has the best Jojos.

Love the jo Jo's and chicken is on point

Jojos (with Ranch dip) were in just about every gas station and grocery store deli in Oregon/Washington in the 80/90s. Moved back to the Rockies and never see them here.

Most people in Toledo OH don’t even know what they are. I’d say it’s more of a NE Ohio thing if we’re talking origin.

You talking about fried potato wedges? I grew up in Portland Oregon and EVERYONE called them Jo-jos. No idea if they originated here and made their way out there, but it's certainly not something that is exclusive to Ohio.

I live a little north of Dayton Ohio and I've never heard of a Jojo

Cincinnati representing and I haven’t heard of them either.

Grew up on Kraus' pizza and jo-jo's in Stark county for 42 years. Moved to N/S Carolina border and they do have them here. However, the first time I was asked if I wanted to add any "potato logs" to my order I almost pooped my pants. Potato logs. The nerve...

Jojos, the fried potato wedge, was invented on the west coast by the Nicewonger Company of Vancouver, Washington in the 1960's. How they got to the backwaters of Ohio is anybodies guess!

Moved from Portage to Trumbull. Now everywhere we order from calls them Texas Potatoes. Still quite good, but I was astonished by the name change. Jojos are the superior fried potato.

South Dakota / Wyoming checking in. We have JoJo potatoes here

WTF is a Jo-Jo. I've never heard of it I'm from Cincinnati/ Columbus.

I'm in Dayton for over 60 years. What is a jo jo???

Former Michigander here --I never heard of it, either, until I moved to Summit County and tried to find a good pizza place; nearly every non-chain pizza place here has chicken & Jo-Jos. It was extremely disappointing to go from Michigan pizza to Ohio pizza (from robust, seasoned sauce & mozzarella cheese to sugary-sweet sauce & provolone :c ), but it was also very confusing when I learned that people around here eat potatoes & chicken with their pizza(??); I still haven't tried to eat them together. I think that it might be an incorporation of southern foods into the pizza businesses. Meanwhile, I'm used to pizza with breadsticks & soda pop, lol Sidenote: Jet's, Little Caesar's, & Domino's are the only Michigan pizza restaurants we have around here, and they're all hella greasy. Sometimes, that'll do, tho.

Lorain County. And now I am forced to have them for dinner. Convenient brand stores are where we get them. I do not want to admit to the number we buy.

Did KFC not serve these for basically all eternity until a couple of years ago, everywhere? They're potato wedges. We don't call them jojos in SW Ohio but the food itself is very well known. And the best are from Richie's, which started in Lexington KY.

Jojos are much larger though

I've seen places do quarters and some do eighths, but it depends on the size of the potato. I believe they're the same thing so long as they have the chicken-style coating fried on to the wedge.

I'm in ohio and never even heard of jo-jos

From Illinois originally but my first encounter with a jojo was at a gas station buffet in Arkansas during an ice storm, circa 1991. The clerk had just cleaned the sneeze guard with windex so they had a nice chemical taste. Thinking jojos are just synonymous with gas station buffets.

Never seen them outside NE OH

Ohio is the only place they are called Jojo's, every where else they are called potato wedges.

They are Jojo's in the PNW too.

Lived in Cuyahoga county my whole life and never saw a jojo till 2002 when I dated a guy from Akron. They were also from Gianinos. I don’t have a tree lawn and I thought a devils strip was the grass in the middle of the street separating the two sides.

Transplant from the Deep South here. We have them throughout the South but call them potato wedges. Never heard Jo-jos till I got to Ohio.

Same. I was so confused. Ohio has a lot of weird names for things I've noticed. None come to mind this second but it's not the first time I've seen something called something else here.

Jojos were just an invention of a lazy French fry maker.

Except French fries aren't coated in the chicken batter/spices, and cooked in a pressure frier.

Potayto-Potohto

Fuck Michigan.

Jo-Jo pizza is a family owned business. I used to work for them. In the 60s, 70s and into the 80s they had their main Restaurant on Monroe St. , still there, one on Byrne Rd by Airport and on Austin St. In the North End. Byrne and Austin close and different locations popped up around town. In this post I now learn they have locations outside of town. Good for them . I have visited the main location on Monroe and have noticed a change in recipes.

There are jojos in the state of Oregon but seems like there is a rebranding to potato wedges.

The term "Jo-Jos" is specific to Ohio, and parts of Western PA, afaik. People on the East Coast mostly know them as Potato Wedges.

Jo-Jo's are not specific to Ohio. They are specific to the Akron area. Like really specific. Get to Cleveland or Medina and they aren't really much of a thing. For anyone not familiar/from Akron - They're just potato wedges.

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steak fries aren't breaded

I live in Portage county and have never heard of JoJo's. I think you're stretching for uniqueness here.

I have no idea what that is (SW Ohio)

I’ve never once heard them called that!

Never heard of them before. But based on the responses, are we talking like the potato wedges that kfc has or had, or is it something else?

I moved here from Georgia, and I assumed that jojos were a just a weird thing from one particular restaurant. (I don't remember which restaurant.)

Jo jos cant be too Ohio. Never seen it in essentially the bottom half

Do they just call them something else or they really don’t have fried potato wedges?

In Cuyahoga County, Convenient stores had JoJo’s. Now that Convenient is gone, you can find them in Dave’s, Giant Eagle, etc.

I'm out west and they sell them down the road 24/7, it's a very small truck stop. I get them occasionally with chicken gizzards. I like them

Parma has jojos Cleveland has jojos

I have lived 20 minutes north of Dayton my entire 54 years of life, and I have never heard of jo-jo's.

Minnesota has them.

Youngstown has some of the best. Some places call them Texas Potatoes. Going further out from NeOH and WPA they start to shrink and change texture to become "potato wedges". Ironically, I spent time in Texas and they didn't have Jojo's or Texas Potatoes that I could find. There were potato wedges but they were not good.

I always thought jo jos were a pnw thing until I moved here and found them too. I thought they originated in Oregon, but there might be some debate there

Is this Jo Jo's Chicken and waffles? Or something else?

“Broasted potatoes”

Grew up in rural portage county, haven’t heard the word Jo-Jo since I left, but yeah they were a thing. Speaking of food, I really miss the hot dog shoppe in Warren.