His Place Eatery to open new location near intersection of 86th and Ditch

His Place Eatery opened its 6916 E. 30th St. location in 2012. (IBJ photo/Dave Lindquist)

James “Mackie” Jones said the second location of His Place Eatery will be surrounded by bustling activity near the intersection of West 86th Street and Ditch Road in Indianapolis, an advantage not shared by the His Place restaurant that serves customers near the intersection of 30th Street and Shadeland Avenue.

“At 30th and Shadeland, we kind of bring everybody to the party,” Jones said. “We’re sitting on an island here, and this is a ‘destination’ location. We wanted to be in a situation where we didn’t necessarily have to do that. We like that there are a lot of different types of places to eat [near 86th and Ditch] and a lot of diversity in the types of cuisine. We think what we do will be of value to that area.”

His Place Eatery, consistently ranked as a top soul food restaurant in the city, is expanding 15 years after it opened in March 2009 near the intersection of 37th Street and Shadeland Avenue. The restaurant moved to 30th and Shadeland in 2012.

Jones, who co-owns His Place Eatery with his wife, Shawn Jones, said the new location is expected to open in May at 1411 W. 86th St.

His Place is known for its chicken and waffles, ribs, pork chops and creamed corn flavored with bourbon.

Jones said he appreciates accolades, but he’s primarily focused on delivering a high-quality experience for customers.

“The goal is to be as consistent as possible and provide excellent customer service,” he said. “We try to be as hospitable as possible within the confines of what we do best. … I’m a firm believer that the experience is more important than the food. I’m a trained chef, so I believe the food should be great. But a great experience will elevate the food into something else.”

The new restaurant is taking over space in a retail strip previously occupied by an IronFit Boxing training center. Northbrook Center, the retail area at the southwest corner of 86th and Ditch, is anchored by international grocery store AIM Mart.

Jones said the second His Place Eatery will be about twice as large as the first, with 4,000 square feet compared to 2,100 square feet. Seating capacity will be about 100, and about 40 staff members will be hired for the restaurant, Jones said.