Jon Bon Jovi’s wife Dorothea Hurley laughed off the frequent experience of being ignored by restaurant staff because they’re more interested in her husband.

The couple, who met at school and married in 1989, discussed what she called the “standing joke in our family” as they revealed plans to open a third JBJ Soul Kitchen dedicated to helping the hungry and homeless while also promoting community action.

“That’s a fact,” Bon Jovi confirmed when asked by CBS if the story about not being served was true. “Because everyone’s focusing on what Mr. Bon Jovi wants!" Hurley explained. "And I’m like, ‘Can I get ... ?’ And everyone’s meal shows up except mine … or I get the wrong thing. It doesn’t matter, I just eat it.”

You can watch the interview below.

Bon Jovi also pointed out that the Soul Kitchen concept was Hurley’s and how he immediately realized it was “genius.” Those who pay to eat in the restaurant aren’t given prices; instead, they’re asked to make a donation to cover their own meal along with someone else’s. Those who can’t afford to eat are offered a meal in return for volunteering on the premises.

The first restaurant opened in 2011 in Red Bank, N.J., in 2011. A second later opened in Tom’s River, N.J.; a third will open next year on the campus of Rutgers University in Newark with a goal to assist struggling students.

“Hunger doesn’t look like what your mind’s eye might imagine,” Hurley said. “And I think it was eye-opening for a lot of the community here that said, ‘Oh, there’s no homeless people here.’ … I say, ‘I can name five people here right now that I know are homeless.’”

Bon Jovi said he found his involvement in the project to be as fulfilling as performing in front of a stadium of fans. “I have left here after a long night of volunteering and said, 'That makes you feel the same kind of good,'" he explained. "The way to feel good is to do good, you know? Find your good, and do it.”

 

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