Jamaican Patty Company, a south Springfield Jamaican restaurant and market, is expanding — bringing a second location to downtown Springfield later this spring.
While they are known for their patties, enclosed pastries filled with spices and meat or other savory fillings (similar to an empanada), they are expanding their menu downtown to include other traditional Jamaican dishes.
The new location will be at 301 Park Central West, while their flagship store will continue to operate at 3439 S. Campbell Ave. in the Savannah Square Shopping Center. The downtown property housed Hurts Donuts from 2013 to 2015, and planned to house the A.M. (Alternative Music) Diner, according to a Springfield News-Leader story from August 2022. However, the restaurant never opened.
Jamaican Patty Co. looks to bring a new ‘cultural experience’ to Springfield
Since moving to Springfield in 2010, Du’Sean Howard and his wife Latoya, both natives of Jamaica, have met a lot of people who had visited Jamaica — and they saw an opportunity to bring a taste (literally) of their culture to Springfield.
Initially establishing themselves as a cafè-style restaurant in January 2018, their early success spurred the purchase of a food truck that allows them to expand their reach in the area.
Since opening, they have added a small market, where they sell Jamaican groceries in addition to the patties, Jamaican beverages and, recently, new food offerings.
“Living here, in Springfield, you kind of get an idea of what’s missing and what can be enhanced,” Du’Sean Howard said. “I think the cultural experience here can definitely be enhanced. … I think that adding something different to downtown would definitely help with that experience.”
Downtown location to have similar menu, but operate differently
Due to the smaller size of the downtown building, Howard brainstormed different ways to expand options of the South Campbell location.
While there will be indoor seating downtown, the capacity will be very limited. To offset that, and be able to offer “convenience” to the larger pedestrian traffic, the downtown location will have a walk-up window.
While their namesake, Jamaican patties, will continue to be a primary offering, they’re hoping a wider variety of traditional Jamaican dishes will help add to the cultural experience.
“I think people really enjoy the patties, but sometimes they want a fuller experience,” Howard said. “And I think that we’re going to meet that need.”
Their current lineup of patties consist of beef, curry chicken, plantains and jackfruit, among other veggie options and meat combinations. Some of their new menu items include curry shrimp, oxtail and barbecue jerk chicken.
The new space still needs some work done before they’re able to debut Jamaican patties downtown. Howard hopes they’re able to be open within two months.
“We definitely have to be ready for the summer,” he said.
Howard is uncertain what the hours for the new location will be, but understands they may have to be different from their flagship restaurant.
“Downtown is a different space,” he said. “We have to kind of get more connected with what the restaurants down there are doing, kind of see where we can fit in.”
The South Campbell location is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Amid plans, Howard envisions future of each aspect of Jamaican Patty Co.
While Howard has his hands full with getting the new downtown location ready to open, he is still making plans for the rest of the business as well.
“We are excited to do things here at [the South Campbell] location, too,” he said.
Howard said they are looking to add reggae nights to their flagship restaurant and are looking into adding a food trailer to their mobile fleet.
“Our main focus is trying to give the community that experience,” he said. “I just hope that we continue to be well-received. I think that we’ve had a lot of success with our reviews and just the way people appreciate what we’re doing here. We plan to be busier downtown.”
