This story was written in response to a reader-submitted question through Open Source, a platform where readers can ask Ashland Source’s newsroom to investigate a question.
ASHLAND — A reader recently saw cars parked at the former Jake’s restaurant, and asked Ashland Source to find out what was happening there. So we did.
Jake’s restaurant has been transformed into “The Jake” Day Habilitation (known as “day hab”) where people with developmental disabilities can participate in activities, go on outings, and have their needs met, habilitation manager Brad Clark said.
“For instance, this Friday we’re going to Dunkin’ Donuts. Some of our clientele have outcomes, so it’s like cleaning, cooking, maybe doing money management skills and stuff like that. So we help them do their goals,” Clark added.
Inside, the facility still resembles a steakhouse. Tables and booths still line the walls of most of the building, but a few areas have been converted to new uses. One side room is now an office space and one-on-one space for clients, complete with a TV, Nintendo Switch, and other amenities.
Outside the common room, a hallway has been converted into a kitchenette while staff works to get the main kitchen back in order after Jake’s abruptly closed in 2019.
“When the restaurant left, it left everything. The only thing they took out was the dishwasher because it was leased. Plates, cups, silverwares, drink machines, the whole deer head was still up on the bars, all your old pictures. There was a lot of stuff that they left over,” Clark said.
While The Jake is currently only a day hab service, the owners plan to eventually open the restaurant in the evening to host events and provide day hab clients with an opportunity to work, Clark said.
The Jake is owned by Michael McClure, who runs Statewide Transportation Services LLC with his son Tyler McClure. The company offers transportation for people with disabilities in Ashland, Wayne, Holmes, Crawford, and Richland counties, according to a pamphlet from The Jake.
Michael McClure bought the former steakhouse in January 2022 and always planned on turning it into a day hab facility, his wife Debra McClure said.
The Jake opened in June 2022, and operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
