Meet Joselin Oudemans | Restaurant Owner

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

Hi Joselin, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my business success is my family. From the start, they have had endless support for myself and my restaurant, LB’s Lunch Box. They inspire me to be better every day – from their own creative minds to their work ethic. My family is there for me on a regular basis, including weekends, holidays, and emergencies! I feel very lucky to have them in my life. I cannot imagine what my business would be like without the backbone my family has helped to create.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
LB’s Lunch Box is a seasonal restaurant tucked within the New Jersey Pinelands. We opened in 2019 in a food-trailer beside local seafood market, the River Road Clam House. Opening LB’s was inspired by a need for freshly cooked seafood within reach of the Clam House and those perusing the Mullica River across the street. In 2020, when the pandemic shook the world, I was lucky to have outdoor seating and primarily takeout solutions already established. The business grew fast, so much so that my fridges and freezers weren’t able to store enough to get through a weekend without selling out. A good problem to have, admittedly, yet still was problematic. The solution was to find a permanent location to continue expanding in. In 2021, I again was lucky enough to score a beautiful kitchen and dining area that sits on the sandy shores of the Belhaven Lake, on site of the Belhaven RV Resort. LB’s has been thriving ever since!

Beyond the location of LB’s Lunch Box, the main attraction is the food – as it should be with any great restaurant! The meals that we serve set us apart from many other restaurants in the area. LB’s focuses on scratch-made food with as many fresh, NJ-sourced ingredients as possible. Seafood is the main business, but LB’s offers a range of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, as well as desserts! I do not offer an extensive amount of meat options in an effort to encourage patrons to try something potentially new and delicious, and to help with our environmental footprint. While some are disappointed in this, it does make me proud of myself to really recognize what LB’s Lunch Box is all about and to stick to it. We serve the best food we possibly can and do not settle for anything less, even if that means a menu that doesn’t check every box for every person (I’m looking at you, infamous cheeseburgers and chicken fingers). In any industry, it is important to stick to your mission and brand. Establishing boundaries against low-hanging fruit, like common diner offerings, challenges me to create a dining experience that can’t be found anywhere else in the area.

LB’s relies on exciting weekly specials to keep our regulars interested, but they have also gained the business the most amount of attention from new customers. Social media is a huge help in showing the world these offerings. It gives an audience for what would otherwise be a message on a chalkboard or a scripted intro before taking an order. It was not always easy to get the attention we needed to grow. Our location, as picturesque as it is, is in a rural area. There is not a lot of cell service, and we are versed in calls asking, “where are you located again?”. But this is just the way I like it! Making an intentional trip out of your way for delicious food is what separates us from convenience and the ordinary. Social media presents visual aids (for free!) as to why anyone should visit my restaurant and follow along on its journey. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have helped connect me to other small business owners in the area and create a community beyond the time spent at the restaurant as well.

Throughout the past four years of owning this restaurant, there have been many challenges – working insane hours, sometimes up to 95 a week in our open season, to covid’s supply chain repercussions and constantly increasing prices. I feel grateful sometimes that my business isn’t years and years old, because now I have learned to always be ready for the next challenge. Nothing has been stable since our second year of business in 2020, so I have learned to always be adaptable. If there is one lesson to learn in business, it is that being static and stubborn to change will cause you to fail. The nature of business is to always improve on your product and service, because if you don’t, someone else will. It may sound intense, but it is the hard truth.

In the end, it is passion that will really drive a business to success, though. My tendencies for creativity in the kitchen and hard work make LB’s Lunch Box a one-of-a-kind place that adds spice to our community. Small towns across the country are special to those that visit and reside in them because of the unique spots that the locals create. I am happy to work as hard as I can to represent myself, my family, and my community well!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
An ideal in-town tourist trip would have to consist of Pinelands-inspired activities as well as authentically Jersey experiences. On the itinerary would be a hike or two on sandy trails like the Batona, kayak trips down the Mullica River, and stargazing at the Batsto Village. It would also be worthwhile, depending on the season, to pick one of the area’s prized possessions: blueberries! Being the garden state, New Jersey has so many amazing farms to visit from cranberry bogs to grape vineyards. A winery/brewery tour through Hammonton would be a must as well! A stop at a local pizzeria, like Naples in Little Egg Harbor would definitely be in store, along with a tour of the Tuckerton Seaport.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My mom, Amy, my sister, Langley, and my family-friend, Kathy – your encouragement, work, and love for my business deserves all the recognition it can get. Thank you so much for all you do!

Website: lbslunchbox.com

Instagram: @lbs_lunch_box

Facebook: LB’s Lunch Box