The secret's in the sauce at Jackson’s Station
After almost 20 years of serving up Southern food, a name and location change, and an endorsement from Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, some things remain the same for Camden’s Jackson’s Station.
Their often imitated but never duplicated COB, a sandwich topped with boneless tenders and their “secret” sauce, keeps the customers coming.
Sulynn Creswell, wife of Camden’s mayor and a Jackson’s Station regular, describes the sauce as a “mustardy, tangy and creamy sauce that is a perfect blend for the chicken.” Mark Zuckerberg ordered the COB when he stopped by the store in 2017.
While the COB remains popular, Jackson’s Station’s expanded menu attracts even more customers today.
Rixine Jackson, who co-owns Jackon’s Station with her husband Carl, mentioned that since his visit, people have come far and wide to get a taste. “It has been great for business,” she said.
In 2019, the Jacksons purchased an old service station that had stood vacant in downtown Camden for 30 years. After much renovation, the restaurant moved from its Claiborne Street location to 123 Broad St. in the heart of downtown Camden in July 2023 under its new name, Jackson’s Station.
With this change, the restaurant is seeing more success than ever before. Regular customers agree that it is a spot where community members love to gather for good Southern cooking.
Jackson’s Station offers plenty of delicious food options on its rotating buffet menu, including everything from backed ham to chicken and dumplings. Daily buffet offerings are usually posted on their Facebook page.
Customers always look forward to Friday’s weekly seafood lunch buffet, complete with stuffed crab, shrimp and grits, and catfish. Chicken pot pie is another popular item that usually sells out fast. To top it all off, Jackson’s Station offers a wide range of pies, from cherry to the popular Oreo pie.
In February 2006, the Jacksons purchased the original chicken business from a friend and named it Jackson’s Fried Chicken. They opened the doors in early March that year with little time to adjust.
Jackson said, “I didn’t know anything about running a restaurant, but I knew how to run a business, and I’ve grown it from there. I worked hard at it to try and make it what it is. However long it takes me to learn how to do something, that’s just what I do.”
Towanda Woods, affectionately known as “Cornbread,” has worked alongside the Jacksons for 15 years. She cooks and sometimes runs the register, where she enjoys interacting with the customers.
“Everybody is down to earth, which makes it the perfect restaurant to be at,” she said. The best part of her job is seeing the impact on the community, as the popular restaurant does a “great job of bringing people together.”
Creswell said Jackson's Station's best feature might be its “energy and community”. “It is a place of gathering and community building. You never walk in there without seeing people laughing and smiling.”
She noted that a table is reserved for a group of local men who gather from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch. “They just sit, eat, and talk every day. It is their usual meeting spot,” Creswell said.
In addition to the loyal locals, visitors to the town of 2,200 often make it a point to stop for a COB or whatever meat and three is served up. In November 2023, a team from al.com named Jackson’s Station one of 22 Alabama “must-try” fried chicken spots.
Jackson is not surprised by the attention. “Other people may have it, but I have often been told ours is the best. All I know is that we put a lot of pride in ours.”
Tags: Camden
