Motorists traveling on U.S. Highway 141 north of Green Bay have plenty of options when it comes to grabbing a bite to eat.
Several of them have discovered a diner near the state Highway 22 exit that locals have been frequenting for almost 20 years.
Jolene “JoJo” Barkhaus opened Jojo’s Diner 17 years ago and sold the business to Gazmend “Gus” and Vlora Fetoja, who took it over in May 2025.
Vlora Fetoja said she and her husband, who were living at the time in Waunakee near Madison, were looking online for a restaurant to purchase and run.
“We wanted our own restaurant and he found this place,” she said. “We liked the restaurant and the area here.”
The Fetojas came to the United States about four years ago from North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe. They first settled in Eagle River in northern Wisconsin, where Gus spent a year working at Friendship House Family Restaurant as a server and manager before moving to Waunakee, where he and his wife worked at a factory.
The Fetojas live in Oconto Falls, where their sons Ben, 17, and Albin, 13, attend school while also working part-time at the restaurant.
Ben Fetoja is going to be a senior at Oconto Falls High School.
“The co-workers are really nice, and everybody is friendly,” he said. “The job is pretty easy. There’s nothing that’s really complex that I have to do. Compared to my last job, the owners are really nice.”
His previous job was at a McDonald’s in Eagle River.
“There were three managers working the same day and kept pushing me around,” he said. “When you work in a fast-food establishment, it’s more like a factory. You do a specific thing you’re told to do every single day. Here, you’re going to help with the cash register, you’re going to help the waitresses. I do a little bit of everything.”
Last year’s move from Waunakee to Oconto County worked out well for the Fetojas as well as the diner’s customers and employees.
Those employees include Nancy Peterson, who has worked at Jojo’s for 15 years.
“They are very hard workers,” she said. “When they came, they just fit right in, they really did. They literally don’t take a day off.”
Peterson spent several years working for Barkhaus.
“She started it and it was really small back then with one server,” she said. “Every year, it gets busier and busier. We get visitors from Oconto, Lena, Oconto Falls and people going up north.”
The diner is located about 5 miles south of Lena, 4 miles east of Oconto Falls and 8 miles west of Oconto.
Peterson said her job as a server turned into the perfect opportunity.
“I live 4 miles down the road, we close at 2 o’clock and all the people are so nice, all the customers,” she said. “Every day is different, especially now. It’s just been so busy since I started. There’s not a dull moment. We’re running from the time we get in here until the time we leave.”
The diner’s menu includes breakfast items such as pancakes, French toast, waffles, omelettes, skillet bowls and lunch items such as sandwich melts, burgers and wraps.
“Gus and Vlora brought some new dishes, new entrees, specialties like French toast and pancakes,” Peterson said.
Vlora Fetoja said the new menu items include stuffed French toast with berries and vegan salads.
“Sometimes people don’t like change, but we were lucky,” Peterson said. “They kept the whole crew. They’re very nice and easy to work for.”
The diner’s sale happened quickly, according to Peterson.
“It happened so fast,” she said. “(Barkhaus) told us and it was like a month later that they took over. They were here when Jolene was here, too, to make the transition. It was pretty smooth.”
Peterson said customer service sets the diner apart from the competition.
“We are very fast,” she said. “It’s not like you’re waiting 45 minutes to eat. Our average ticket time is about 12 minutes. These are homemade desserts, homemade soups, homemade mashed potatoes, homemade ranch (dressing). It feels like fast food, but it’s not. It’s quality meals.
“The prices are amazing, too. People from Green Bay say, ‘You are kidding me with the prices here.’ Not one thing is $20.”
The diner has about 30 employees and is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily at 5774 Duame Road, Lena.
Fetoja said she or Gus are almost always there.
“I don’t like to not be here, because I want to see if somebody doesn’t like something and I want to know why,” she said. “Sometimes, I’m here until 4 or 5 at night. We like to do that, because when we see the restaurant growing, that makes us happy.”
Sundays are typically the busiest day of the week.
“It’s in a good location because you have Oconto, Lena, Oconto Falls, Suamico,” Peterson said. “We have one couple that come all the way from Sheboygan. They take a drive every couple of weeks and come here to eat. Isn’t that crazy?”
Gazmend “Gus” and Vlora Fetoja purchased Jojo’s Diner last year from Jolene Barkhaus, who opened the business and operated it for 16 years. (Contributed)
