Our Place on the River brings new life to longtime Hinton restaurant

By Jenny Harnish, RealWV

HINTON, W.Va — Kirk’s restaurant sits on the water near the confluence of the Greenbrier and the New River in Hinton. It has been a favorite in the area since the 1970s. After closing its doors and changing hands several times, Kirk’s has a new owner — and a new name.

Jeff Halsey, together with a silent partner, opened Our Place on the River two weeks ago after giving the building a facelift. 

“We didn’t want to reopen as Kirk’s because we’re not Kirk’s,” Halsey said. “We’re doing a lot of the things that they were doing but putting our own spin on things as well.”

Halsey has been in the restaurant industry for 30 years and jumped on the opportunity when the space became available. 

“This location, the heritage and everything here — it was a no-brainer,” he said. 

They redid the floors inside and outside on the patio, put in all new kitchen equipment, and added a new walk-in cooler. 

“It needed an upgrade — it was really dated,” he said. 

The new menu features a little bit of something for everyone. Pizzas, barbeque, chicken tenders are among the offerings. The burgers are named after area attractions like “The John Henry” and “The Hinton.” The catfish is a popular menu item. 

“All these recipes are mine. I make my own rubs. The baked beans, pasta salad, green beans, cheese sauce — all these things are homemade,” Halsey said. 

Halsey said the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“I’m here to carry on a tradition,” he said. “This place means a lot to a lot of people, and that’s the response I’m getting mostly right now. Some of our elderly people that are coming in are like, ‘We’re so glad that you’re open, we’re so glad we can get breakfast again.’”

“Every single day, God gives me a sign that this is where I’m supposed to be,” he said.