Owners of Jake’s Place in Ashland expanding to Richmond with spot near The Diamond

The space was most recently home to Ellie’s Hot Dogs & Ice Cream. (Mike Platania photos)

The owners of an Ashland barbecue joint are bringing their brisket south to Richmond. 

Wendy and John Yohman are preparing to open Jake’s Bullpen at 3312 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. The new spot will be a satellite location for Jake’s Place Restaurant & Market, which the Yohmans have run at 511 Thompson St. in Ashland for over a decade. 

Jake’s Bullpen will take over a walk-up space that sits a bit north of The Diamond and most recently  housed Ellie’s Hot Dogs & Ice Cream, which opened in 2023 and closed last fall. It was previously home to ice cream shop Sweet 95 and shaved ice shop Suzy Sno. 

Wendy said the pair will be bringing many of the most popular items at Jake’s Place to Jake’s Bullpen, such as its brisket, smoked ham and pulled pork. She said it’ll operate as a walk-up window with counter service. 

“The menu is not going to be as extensive as we have (at Jake’s Place), but we’ll hit the high spots. You’re going to know it’s Jake when you pull up,” Wendy said. “We want to make it a turn-and-burn kind of place.”

She said the plan is to get an ABC license and have occasional live music at Jake’s Bullpen as well. Jake’s Place also offers catering, and she said Jake’s Bullpen will also serve as a catering pickup location. 

The Yohmans have brought in a new business partner for Jake’s Bullpen in David Duke, a director at consulting firm Fahrenheit Advisors and the local franchisee for Potbelly Sandwich Shop. Duke is also a partner in Jake’s On The Move, a food trailer the Yohmans and Duke debuted earlier this month. 

“There’s a lot of ventures that all of a sudden came at me pretty quickly, and I knew my husband and I weren’t going to be able to handle it all ourselves,” she said. “So David was a great fit for us to go into partnership with.”

Jake’s Bullpen is aiming to open in early May. 

Yohman acknowledged that Jake’s Bullpen’s name plays off The Diamond, which is in its last season as the Flying Squirrels stadium. This week, the ballclub’s future home next door, CarMax Park, hit a milestone in its construction.

CarMax Park’s final beam was put in place Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday the Flying Squirrels held a topping-off ceremony, where the final steel beam on the park’s primary structure was ceremonially put in place. 

Among those speaking at the event were Mayor Danny Avula, Flying Squirrels Managing Partner Lou DiBella, and members of the stadium’s construction and design team. DiBella noted that the ceremony was being held on The Diamond’s 40th birthday. On April 17, 1985, the Richmond Braves played their first game at The Diamond. 

CarMax Park is scheduled to be completed in time for the opening of the Flying Squirrels 2026 season. 

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