Goodbye, Jamie’s. Hello, Mega J's

Long-time diner purchased by Omeletty’s owner; soda fountain favorites will remain

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Jamie’s Soda Fountain was a mainstay in downtown Kokomo for decades. No matter the location, people followed the diner from storefront to storefront to get their fountain coke fix. But the local legend is making way for new ownership and a new chapter in downtown history.

Erik Carmona purchased the restaurant from owner Terri Lucas recently and will re-open it as Mega J’s Café this week. Carmona has been cooking in the Kokomo area for more than 20 years as the owner of Omeletty’s on the city’s west side and Omelerik’s in Galveston. He is promising a fusion of what made Jamie’s a success, along with his own best-sellers.

Carmona said that the menu is set and will include popular items from his other restaurants, but what long-time Jamie’s customers will love to hear is that he was able to obtain many of the recipes from Lucas. So, many of their favorites still will be available.

And, of course, the soda fountain stays. Mega J’s will serve fountain cokes along with shakes, malts, and ice cream, just like Jamie’s used to offer. There will a greater focus on breakfast offerings, which is one of Carmona’s strengths.

“My favorite thing we will have on the menu are the omelets,” said Carmona. “But we’re going to have tacos and breakfast tacos, too. I added those about two years ago at my other restaurants, and now we serve more tacos than omelets.

“I'm also going try to put a little salad bar out here and have soup every day. If people want to grab something quick, we’ll have that.”.

The name of the new restaurant – Mega J’s – wasn’t Carmona’s first choice, but it has a lot of meaning. It is an acronym coined by his children: Marilyn, Eric, Ginger, Arleth, Jake, and Justin. He claimed he wasn’t a fan of the name initially, but it may grow on him.

What he is a fan of, however, is the devotion and love the downtown community has for Jamie’s. He said that even as the restaurant was closed for remodeling, he kept the soda fountain in operation for those die-hard fans.

He also kept much of the old restaurant’s feel. The lunch counter remains intact, though the seating and tables have been updated. The overall appearance is similar.

The hours of operation for Mega J’s will be 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, though Carmona may adjust them once he sees what kind of reception the restaurant receives. He may stay open later for the First Friday events.

“I have some different ideas for First Friday,” said Carmona. “We’ll see what happens. We have a stage, so we might have live music in here. I'm not sure yet. I see a lot of potential.”