Six new Asian/Korean restaurants coming

Mayor Tyler Moore discloses the arrival at Chamber's 'Coffee with the Mayor'

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It was a cold, snowy day on Jan. 19, but inside Big Ben Coffee Co.'s Jefferson Street shop, warm drinks and talk of city updates were keeping the temperature comfortable. Mayor Tyler Moore gave an overview of the city’s 2023 activities and plans for 2024 to the members of the Greater Kokomo Economic Alliance as part of “Coffee with the Mayor."

The forum, moderated by Chamber Manager Courtney Butler, had local members asking questions of the mayor, who addressed several topics, one of which was the recent notice of Chick-fil-A planning a restaurant on Ind. 931 at Markland Avenue in the parking area near Hobby Lobby.

When asked about the concern of one more fast-food restaurant locating at an already busy intersection, the mayor pointed out that the plan commission had only approved variances and were working though the company's plan, adding, "There is no legal reason you can hang your hat on to justify preventing a company from developing a particular parcel."

He also noted the difference between regulating restaurants and the ordinance the Kokomo Common Council put in place for "small box discount stores" within the city.

"What we heard from parts of the community and from studies, with the food deserts and the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, we hiked up the standards so they (small box discount stores) could provide what folks really need."

While speaking of restaurants, the mayor revealed that six newly proposed Korean/Asian eateries are either about to open or are in the planning stages.

"They see the opportunity with an influx of Korean nationals coming, and the closest Korean style restaurants are in the Carmel/ Westfield area," said Moore.

Moore said Korean/Asian style restaurants are planned for downtown Kokomo, with two planned within multi-family housing units. Also, one plans to open in the former Don Pancho Villa on Plate Street and behind Outback Steakhouse on the city's south side.

The mayor also talked about the need for a prepared workforce due to the city's explosive growth.

"Knowing we are continuing to grow our workforce, as part of that initiative we are proud and excited to work with Ivy Tech and IU Kokomo to work on different upscaling programs," said Moore.

IU Kokomo Chancellor Mark Canada then spoke to the group briefly about the new "micro-credential" programs IU is developing to help refresh and retrain the workforce. The program is called “AIM-Achieve, Improve, Master,” and is developed for individuals who as Canada put it, "don't necessarily want to go back and get a full degree ... to get some narrow training in a particular area."

IU Kokomo is developing AIM classes on sales, networking, and interpersonal relations, with more micro-credentialed courses in the works.