JACK LUBER ON THE BRIGHT FUTURE FOR HY’S FRIED
Hy’s Fried has been quietly creating a weekend scene in Egrement, Mass., in the year it’s been open. Owner Jack Luber has leveraged his music connections after running a roving club in ‘90s N.Y.C to bring big-name DJs up to a rustic, family-friendly, fast food chicken joint reimagined in vintage diner booths + fire engine red. Crisp Korean fried chicken, cold craft cocktails + a hot weekend dance party with no cover? It’s a recipe for success.
We stopped in to try the fried chicken and ended up chatting with Jack. I followed up for the full scoop on Jack’s ambitious vision for the coming year.
— SDP
Interview + photos: Susie Davidson Powell
Location: Hy’s Fried, South Egremont, Mass.
Jack, Hy’s Fried has garnered considerable traction since you opened. The Egremont Club, known as the "Old Eg," was a much-loved, long-standing restaurant and live music venue in South Egremont, Mass., known for hosting the community for live blues, folk, bluegrass and dancing, but it’s been closed for many years. What made you pick it up and breathe new life into the place?
My wife and I had moved up here and we saw the former Egrement Club building was for sale. It had been closed for 30 or 40 years. When I approached the town and asked regarding the usage, they told me dancing and cocktails would be acceptable with an approved kitchen in place… I couldn’t help myself; the building was speaking to me!
You’re as well known for your crispy fried chicken and (mostly) gluten-free menu as the vinyl-only, crowd-grabbing weekend sets by big name DJs like Mark Robson + Tedd Patterson. First, why fried chicken and is this a secret heirloom recipe?
The chicken is important! The recipe has been in my family for years one way or another… It’s 100% gluten-free as most Korean fried chicken is, if it’s built correctly… We take its premise from that and do our own take on it. Most of the menu is gluten-free as well except for our biscuits and waffles.
Your mantra is “never a charge” and “you’re free to dance” but you’re really kinda out there in the sticks. Are you managing to draw in a crowd?
The mantra of “never a charge” and “you’re free to dance” is because I’m trying to create a subculture in an area where it really never existed… Yes, there’s always been live music and venues up here that had folk blues and rock, but there’s never been a culture of dancing to either disco, house, reggae, rock, whatever the genre is. Our DJs are outstanding who come to the building: Ted Patterson, Mark Ronson, Stretch Armstrong, dope jams very own Paul Nickerson, SASHA Krush from NTS Radio and Public Records in Brooklyn, Ephraim Asili, the list goes on and on—super high-quality vinyl-only DJs that come here for the love of the game. We don’t pay very much, but they get to eat the food, have cocktails and play on a world class sound system provided by Jon Bless Hifi. My history in this industry created long-term relationship relationships from owning a club in New York City from 1989 to 2002 called Frankie Jackson Soul Kitchen. During that time I created relationships that would last a lifetime with people who just love doing what they do and are willing to take the journey up here.
From the music industry to home building to reviving The Egrement Club, you don’t seem to sit still for very long. What’s coming up next next either for you or for Hy’s Fried in 2026?
The future of Hy’s looks bright! Right now we’re working on vendor programs to expand Hy’s Fried onto college campuses and expediting our product at major U.S. seasonal sporting events… We are also planning on opening 2 to 3 new Hy’s Fried stores in the next 18 to 24 months in the New England territory from Portland, Maine to Boston, Massachusetts, and somewhere here locally in the New York area.
With all that said, keep your ears open as I’m releasing a country record in the next several weeks that will be available on all streaming services under the artist name “Just Jack”!
This image only: Jack Luber/Hy’s Fried