Bar J is back.

After a hiatus of a few years, the family that brought a chain of eateries to Northern Virginia recently opened a new version of their signature chili restaurant in Occoquan.

When the doors opened Feb. 22, however, the second and third generations of the Anderson clan were in charge.

The history of the Bar J Chili Parlor and Restaurant brand stretches back more than three decades. The first incarnation was a small location in Lorton that really put more emphasis on the "bar" aspect than on food, Kathy Anderson, who is running the show in Occoquan with son Josh, said last week.

The floor was covered in mud from the boots of construction workers, and patrons’ tabs were tallied by the number of beer cans that were tossed into tin cans that originally had been filled with Charles brand potato chips.

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Anderson’s parents bought the “little dive joint” in 1981 and began converting it into a family restaurant, she said.

They convinced customers that the food could be as important as the libations, and they won a Washington chili contest in 1984, Anderson said, which "kind of put us on the map."

Bar J also became known as a place where chili connoisseurs might catch a glimpse of Redskins legends Sonny Jurgensen and Billy Kilmer. Soon, the Andersons opened a second location, in Woodbridge.

An expansion of the Fairfax County water treatment plant forced the initial Bar J to fade into Tex-Mex history, but that proved not such a big deal, because the Andersons were off and running. Kathy Anderson’s brothers got into the business, and the family opened new locations in Alexandria, Stafford and Manassas. There was a Bar J steakhouse, too, and Italian-themed restaurants named Giovanni’s and Spaghetti Betty’s.

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Kathy Anderson left the business in 2003, and her father, John Anderson, stayed involved with the last remaining Bar J, on Route 123 in Woodbridge until 2008. That location closed in 2010.

But about five years ago, Josh Anderson, who owns the Concrete Artisans construction business, began to nudge his mother.

“He was like, ‘Mom, do you think you could do it again?’” Kathy Anderson said.

She had worked at his company and gotten a job at Wegmans, where customers asked if Bar J might return to the restaurant scene.

“It was always the question,” Anderson said.

The Andersons decided to do it, and they settled on a space in the Riverwalk development in Occoquan, sandwiched in between the river and the bridge for Route 123.

The location was new, and Josh Anderson made sure the insides of the building had a new feel that he calls “modern rustic.” The ceiling is painted to resemble the daytime blue sky, and the walls to look like exposed brick. New menu items are cropping up as well, such as vegetable fajitas.

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Otherwise, the Andersons are trying to keep an old-time atmosphere with original recipes. Their staff of about 25 also includes faces from Bar J’s past. Kathy Anderson said she even may try to re-create the “Bar J feeling” under customers’ feet.

Potholes dotted the gravel lot in front of the original Lorton restaurant, and they often filled with water. A shipping pallet became a fixture at the front door to keep people from stepping in a puddle. The pallet became a well-known feature, and Anderson said it would be nice to have a rug in Occoquan that resembled it.

Even without such touches, Bar J has been booming in Occoquan since it opened on Anderson’s 56th birthday. There were two-hour waits for tables for two weeks initially, she said. Customers would sit and swap stories long after they finished eating.

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Letty Lynn, whose family corporation owns Riverwalk, said Bar J brings a new type of cuisine to her hometown.

“So that’s a big plus,” she said.

The Andersons’ leasing agent was so excited that he said he would buy a space and lease it himself if a suitable existing spot failed to materialize.

“And I’d still do that” if Bar J expanded elsewhere, the agent, Guy Travers, said.

Travers recalls going to Bar J as a kid, and he said that pitching the Andersons to potential landlords required nearly no selling at all — because others also recognized their brand.

Travers remembers lines out the door in Lorton and patrons having carved their names into the bar.

“It’s like ‘Cheers’: Everybody knows your name,” he said.

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