Justin Taylor, the owner of JT Walker’s, located 401 E. Main St., posted.
on Facebook that after 12 years, the Mahomet establishment will close
its doors.
Taylor said that the restaurant would stay open until (Sunday) Dec. 13.
“The last 12 years have not been easy,” Taylor wrote. “They have been
filled with many achievements and many losses. It has been a fun,
fulfilling ride, but it has also been brutally long hours, extremely
hard work and a lot of stress.
“When we opened in 2008, people said an establishment like JT Walker’s
would never make it in small-town Mahomet. I’m proud of the fact that
we lasted 12 years because of our great customers and all of the
support we received from the Village of Mahomet and many Central
Illinois residents.”
He wrote that the current business climate in Illinois and in
Champaign County has “made it impossible for restaurants and bars to
survive.”
Taylor reopened the doors to JT Walker’s and Project 47 for indoor
diners on Nov. 17 and 18, defying orders established by the Illinois
Department of Public Health on Nov. 4.
“We attempted to follow this mandate but our sales have once again
dropped by almost 70 percent. With the weather turning into winter and
outdoor seating no longer a viable option, we cannot survive on
carryout alone,” Taylor wrote on the 14th of November.
At that time, Taylor said he and his staff discussed closing the doors
or allowing indoor dining.
Both restaurants have had patrons dine indoors since the mid-November date. Project 47 has not posted that it will close, as Taylor said
Walker’s will.
Taylor invited patrons back to JT Walker’s until the 13th.
“Let’s have a good laugh together, maybe even a cry, grab an Orange &
Blue or a Hail to the Chief and remember the good times,” he wrote.
“Let’s grab a Vegas Bomb and toast the over 500 employees who have
worked at JT Walker’s throughout the years and made it what it was,
one of the best damn hangout spots around! Let’s remember the birthday
parties, the rehearsal dinners, the wedding receptions, the retirement
parties, the work Christmas parties. Let’s tell some of our favorite
JTs stories one last time. I can’t wait to see all of your faces and
to tell you, ‘thank you.’”
Taylor also owns the Champaign County Brewing Company, which also appears to remain open.
