Justin Hintze, a former real estate agent,[4] opened Jojo in Sellwood in October 2018.[6] The food cart relocated to a pod on Southwest Powell in 2019.[6] Jojo became known for its social media posts in 2019.[7] In late 2019, Jojo and Vietnamese cart Matta collaborated to launch Chơi Luôn, a restaurant within the cocktail bar Lulu.[8]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jojo offered free meals to children, restaurant workers,[9][10] and hospital workers.[11] In April, when Jojo reopened after a temporary closure, the business offered free sandwiches to all who asked.[12]
In 2021, Hintze confirmed plans to open a sibling brick and mortar restaurant in the Pearl District.[13][14] The restaurant opened on September 15, 2022.[15][16][17] Jojo also caters large events.[18]
Reception
In 2019, Jojo was a Food Cart of the Year finalist in Eater Portland's Eater Awards. The website's Brooke Jackson-Glidden wrote, "Jojo stands out as a Portland icon for its social media alone, but luckily this Creston-Kenilworth cart’s hulking fried chicken sandwiches are similarly obsession-inducing. Owner Justin Hintze doesn’t hold back with spice, sauce, or smoke, topping chicken with potato salad and sambal mayo on a crisped bun, with a side of crispy-crackly jojos for gut-busting good measure."[19]
In 2020, Nick Woo and Alex Frane included Jojo in the website's lists of "14 Outstanding Fried Chicken Sandwiches in Portland" and "14 Excellent Sandwich Shops to Try in Portland", respectively.[20] Jojo was included in several additional Eater Portland lists in 2021, including Woo and Nick Townsend's "14 Real-Deal Fried Chicken Spots in Portland",[21] Krista Garcia's "10 Chicken-and-Jojo Champs in Portland",[22] Woo and Jackson-Glidden's "15 Outstanding Portland Food Carts",[23] Daniel Barnett and Garcia's "17 Mind-Blowing Burgers in Portland and Beyond",[24] and Jackson-Glidden's "The 38 Essential Restaurants and Food Carts in Portland".[25] In 2023, Nathan Williams included Jojo in an overview of "where to eat and drink" in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood,[26] and Waz Wu included the business in an overview of "Where to Find Top-Notch Vegan Burgers in Portland".[27]
Portland Monthly included Jojo in a 2021 overview of "The Best Fried Chicken in Portland".[28] Michael Russell included the restaurant in The Oregonian's 2023 list of Portland's ten best new brunches.[29]