2025 Corolla Food & Drink Tastings Guide

The Beef Jerky Outlet story is pretty simple really. Take the highest quality USDA approved jerky you can find and build a store around it. Make it in small batches so it will always be fresh. Fill the store with so many varieties and flavors of “made in the good old USA” jerky that folks will be amazed. Oh yeah, make the experience fun too. Give out lots of free samples so guests will not HOPE they like their choice . . . they will KNOW they LOVE it! Fill in any extra space with some of the best popcorns, cheeses, peanut butters (the list goes on and on) and even throw in some bug suckers . . . just for fun. The simple idea is - everyday and in all ways create an atmosphere that jerky lovers and their families can come into and relax. If you see some of our guests kind of dancing around the store while sampling some truly great jerky you’ll get what we mean. Amy McDonnell and her husband Kevin McCoy have vacationed in the Outer Banks for years. In 2014, they purchased their dream home on the beach, with hopes of one day retiring there. Both lawyers, McDonnell and McCoy figured it would be a long time before they would be permanently at home in the Outer Banks.But when the opportunity to make OBX their primary residence arose in 2016, they jumped at the chance.“We’ve wanted to live here for a very long time,” McDonnell says. “When we decided to make the move, we wanted to do something to immerse ourselves and truly become part of the community.”What better way to connect with the community than over delicious snacks? The couple, along with McDonnell’s father, decided to open Beef Jerky Outlet in Kitty Hawk in 2017. The following year, they opened the Corolla location. This year, the stores are being rebranded as Beef Jerky Experience, to better reflect all that the place has to offer.“We love that the franchise is a family-owned business, and all the jerky is made by them in Tennessee and Michigan. The beef jerky is made from high-quality eye of round beef in small batches, which is what makes it so great,” McDonnell says.