Hole-in-the-wall establishment Big Randy’s, positioned next door to a Family Dollar in Woodville, is looking to expand its horizons from its Oak Ridge Road location.
Now, whether it’ll be in a Tallahassee spot or in owner Jason Kornegay’s hometown in Crawfordville is still up in the air, but one thing’s for sure they “keep getting bigger, always getting better.”
“There’s so many opportunities for this particular type of restaurant to go all these places,” Kornegay said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat.
The restaurant, operating since 2020, has been known to make a generous loaded fry, offer a sweet wing deal priced at 55 cents on Wednesdays and Saturdays and support local causes. With its community arm, Big Randy’s has made nearly 600 meal donations to organizations like The Less Fortunate Still Matters Foundation, hosted share nights for local causes and has made generous donations to neighboring athletic programs for youth.
Community is the heart of this establishment and food is what brings it altogether.
But before Kornegay moved into the gray building with bright red accents and vintage vinyl records that decorate the walls, the establishment started in a cozy camper trailer only big enough to hold two people, “but it got the job done.”
A George Foreman toaster and microwave were all the tools in his kitchen and his Serv Safe book, a guide for those in the hospitality industry, was his bible.
“I didn’t plan to make it this far, I didn’t think that I would get this far with it at all,”Kornegay humbly says. “I was like ‘OK cool, I make some food you give me like $5 for a sandwich, great.’ But it’s so much more than that.”
Kornegay said he was approached three times by owners of the property asking if he wanted to open his restaurant in the building. The first two times, he declined the offer because he wasn’t “in a position to.” By the third ask, he actually received an offer to get him on the right track so he agreed and was handed the keys.
Big Randy’s, formerly known as Tasty J’s in 2016, opened in 2020 — exactly 10 days before the global shutdown. Making deliveries was their lifeline to staying open.
For his next move he’s particularly looking for places where he can draw his usual crowds of families and people looking for good food at a good price. By 2026, he’s hoping to have three operating locations.
Highlights of the Big Randy’s menu
Kornegay said before he even got into the brick and mortar location or his trailer, he already came up with a menu while working in other kitchens. Conducting research on the most popular menu items across restaurants was the base of the Big Randy’s menu.
With his findings, he feels he hit the jackpot with a concept he refers to as “if McDonald’s and Hobbit American Grill had a baby” it would be Big Randy’s.
One of its best sellers with a “Black Friday” type of deal is the 88 cent wings, with 55 cent offers on select days. These crispy wings come with 30 different flavors to choose from with a number of popular favorites coming in mild, medium and hot.
Wings pair nicely with their homemade ranch, back by popular demand.
Outside of wings, starters include the loaded fries, including the Cajun bacon Parmesan fries with a little kick that sneaks up on you, to their spicy cheddar bacon buffalo fries. The loaded fries can be a meal alone but serve as a delicious segue to indulge in their burgers (both $6.99).
Burgers include the “The Dandy Randy,” a mushroom cheeseburger topped with sauteed onion, ketchup, lettuce, tomato and pickles ($9.99). Other handhelds includes sandwiches and Philly cheesesteaks like the “Monster House Philly,” with double the meat and cheese all topped with bell pepper, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and bacon ($14.99).
Salads are on the menu as well.
Kids are offered their own menu which features grilled cheese, nuggets and a burger. Sweet treats include handspun specialty shakes, whipped cheesecake and chocolate creme pie.
Combo specials are offered daily as well for sandwiches, wings, and burgers.
If you go
What: Big Randy’s
When: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. daily
Where: 1875 Oak Ridge Road, Woodville
This article includes previously reported information. Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Woodville restaurant Big Randy’s cooking up expansion plans
Reporting by Kyla A Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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