New problems for Jack’s Coffee Shop, a favorite Wichita burger joint

There’s a new chapter in the Jack’s Coffee Shop saga.

The restaurant at 6154 S. Hydraulic, which has opened and closed several times in the past year, is closed again. But owner Shirley Coleman said she’s confident she can get the restaurant reopen, ideally by the end of the week.

Coleman fell behind on her taxes, she said, and had to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The property is included on the county’s most recent list of tax foreclosure auctions, which says that Coleman owes $5,440.34.

In addition, Coleman said, fire officials have told her that she has to keep the restaurant closed until she gets a new sprinkler system. She said she hopes that will be taken care of within “a few days.”

She’s also going to take the opportunity to scrub down the walls and the area behind the grill, she said.

Jack’s is one of Wichita’s favorite hole-in-the-wall burger places, and despite its more-than-modest exterior (and interior), it has a devoted following.

Since last October, Jack’s has been plagued with problems, including Coleman’s health issues, a gas leak and the loss of the restaurant’s longtime cook.

Early this summer, I finally made it to Jack’s for my first burger and felt like I’d entered some kind of secret hole-in-the-wall club.

I’ll let you know when Coleman is able to reopen Jack’s.