MOJO RESTAURANT GROUP

Although owner Kim Jensen has been working in restaurants since her first job at Happy Joe’s Pizza at 15, the story of Mojo Restaurant Group began in April 2000, when Kim and her mother, Mary Jo Delorit, purchased the Village Cafe in Egg Harbor. A local favorite, the cafe was — and continues to be — known for its great food and vibrant, fun environment. The warm and offbeat personalities of Kim and the now-retired Mary Jo, coupled with decades of shared experience in the restaurant industry, has led to the celebration of their 20th anniversary of ownership in 2020. 

In 2002, Kim and Mary Jo started Villaggios, the Italian-themed restaurant that Kim had dreamed about opening, armed with the knowledge she had gained turning around a struggling Italian restaurant while working in Minneapolis. Five years later, the mother-daughter business partners purchased the Olde Stage Station in Egg Harbor. Renaming it Mojo Rosa’s, the menu shifted to a hybrid of authentic Mexican and classic American pub fare like pizzas, burgers, and broasted chicken. That same year, the two also bought the Dough Exchange next door — renaming their new spot Pink Bakery, where they expanded the pastry and bakery offerings as well as their wedding cake and catering side of the business.

With Mary Jo now retired, Kim’s latest venture is Bangkok, a small Asian takeout endeavor that’s currently operating as a “pop-up” in Mojo Rosa’s. Bangkok became an idea as Kim considered what would work best in the Villaggios building now that the restaurant was being relocated to its new location on County E in Egg Harbor. She decided on a fresh, made-to-order Asian concept, which launched in May 2020.