JT Walker's Restaurant and Brewery

Photo: JT Walker's Restaurant and Brewery via Facebook 

MAHOMET, Ill. (WAND) - The owner of JT Walker's Restaurant and Brewery in Mahomet announced the business is set to close.

Owner Justin Taylor wrote a post on Facebook expressing his sadness with the situation - one he says marks "a day I hoped would never come." 

"It is with tears in my eyes and a hole in my heart that I'm writing to inform our beloved customers and friends that Sunday, Dec. 13th, 2020 will be the final day we are open at JT Walker's Restaurant and Brewery," Taylor said. "The last 12 years have not been easy. 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."

Taylor said his business can no longer afford to operate under current COVID-19 mitigations set by health department officials in Champaign County. He said the current business climate across Illinois and in the county "has made it impossible for restaurants and bars to survive." 

Taylor said he is proud his business lasting 12 years after starting in 2008. He talked about how people said an establishment like his wouldn't last in a small town like Mahomet. He took the time to thank the customers and acknowledge the support JT Walker's saw from the Village of Mahomet and central Illinois residents. 

"I also want to thank my parents Nick Taylor and Renee Taylor, who believed in their sons' crazy vision and dream and did whatever it took to make it happen," Taylor said. 

Taylor asked the public to come out and enjoy JT Walker's one last time. 

"Let's have a good laugh together, maybe even a cry, grab an Orange & Blue or a Hale to the Chief and remember the good times," he said. "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."