“It’s been a long journey”: J. T. Walker’s to Reopen on Main Street August 25

Almost exactly 18 years after originally opening on Mahomet’s Main Street, J. T. Walker’s Restaurant & Brewery will reopen in a renovated space that combines Justin Taylor’s previous ventures. At one time, J. T. Walker’s was comprised of a sit-down restaurant, private barrel room, brewery and tap room, but restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to keep so many spaces running. After closing the restaurant and focusing on the brewery space, renovation setbacks and changes to Main Street ended up forcing Taylor to close the tap room as well. Five years later, J. T. Walker’s will once again be open to customers, and Taylor is “looking forward to a new beginning.”

Justin Taylor spoke with Everything Mahomet about his restaurant's history in an evolving downtown

In many ways, the story of J. T. Walker’s evolution reflects the transformation of Mahomet’s downtown across the past 20 years. Taylor, whose family has lived in Mahomet for four generations, shared that he opened a restaurant because the village had passed a law allowing for liquor sales in town, and he had a vision for a “revitalized downtown Mahomet.” He remembers when Main Street was primarily home to antique stores, and he has been happy to see so many small businesses and restaurants open over the years. While nightlife quieted down again in 2020, Taylor is excited to be a part of “building back up” the restaurant scene on Main Street, bringing back “a lively nighttime crowd” along with the other businesses nearby.

The newly-opening space reflects the changing landscape of dining in Mahomet. Taylor noted that 18 years ago, with fewer restaurant options in town, his menu offered a huge array of cuisines for customers to choose from. Now that diners in Mahomet have more specialized spots available to them, J. T. Walker’s will focus on their classics: burgers, wraps, salads, pastas, and hand-battered options featuring their own beer batter. Nostalgic long-time customers can rest assured, though, that their favorites will be available. J. T. Walker’s plans to run weekly specials, like “Mexican Week,” that will resurrect old menu items like their monster chimichanga and tres tacos.

J.T. Walker’s brewery is also up and running again, and the “original beers” will be available when the restaurant opens: the Orange and Blue wheat ale, Hale to the Chief corn IPA, and Bulldog Brown Ale. With rebrewing in process, Taylor plans to offer 4-6 proprietary beers on tap and in cans to start and will add more to the list over time; other local craft beers will also be on offer.

Diners can sit on the bar and restaurant side or in a gaming-focused space with pool tables, pin ball, kids games, and a 21+ video gaming area. The game side of the restaurant can be rented for private parties, and a smaller, closed private room is also available for reservation.

This weekend will see a soft launch for J. T. Walker's, with the business officially opening at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.

Taylor noted that during the time his restaurant was closed, he watched The Main Scoop and Smith Burger Co. open in spaces he previously occupied. While this might have been bittersweet for some, Taylor says it’s “exciting to see all the growth that has happened here” and he “is happy to be back and be a part of it.”

Indeed, moving across the street is a “rebirth” of sorts, he says. “We want to bring back and hold the traditions in some of the old that we used to do, but we’re also excited about bringing something new and different from where we were when we opened.”