The simple ham and eggs at Jack’s in downtown Chico was just that — simple and cooked right. (Josh Cozine — Enterprise-Record)

Black and white pictures of old Chico line the walls near the ceiling of the otherwise unassuming diner.

Bars meant for eating rather than drinking outline the kitchen corner, and booths line the walls. Local stations come through the airwaves — ever so raspy — instead of a prepared playlist, barely audible over the clinking of dishes against each other and the constant sound of high pressured water washing dishes for the next guests.

“It’s like a Denny’s — if Denny’s weren’t terrible,” is how an old friend described it before taking me to one of the first restaurants I ever visited upon moving to Chico years ago.

Jack’s Family Restaurant, or just “Jack’s,” sits just south of the downtown plaza, serving classic diner favorites, with cheap specials painted all over the windows.

I used to frequent Jack’s, but lately it seems to always be closed.

A paper print-out displayed new hours, and the once filled late-night hub now closes daily at 3 p.m. No more late night coffee and pie, no more dinner shortstacks.

Nevertheless, nostalgia continued to call, and I finally made time.

I ordered the Ham and Eggs, one of the window specials, which you’ll pretty much have to choose from to make it on a starving student budget.

No worries though, I pretty much always order breakfast at a diner anyways, and it was only $7.99 before tax.

While waiting I asked a waitress what was up with the seemingly sudden 3 p.m. closing time.

She relayed it was a couple factors. Business had been lacking in the later hours, but she said the homeless population was also abusing the restaurant.

Not a fan of homeless blaming, or of the early close times, I inquired further.

Apparently, according to the waitress there were some issues with dining and dashing, and the new close time shored it up, and made business better.

Still not satisfied of unfairly painting houseless individuals all with the same brush, it irritated me. After watching, however, the explanation didn’t seem completely unfounded.

In my less than an hour or so long visit I witnessed two groups come in and ask for free food, and two individuals ask for free water — which is free, but getting it to-go costs 50 cents to buy the cup the waitress explained.

The food, she said to two different groups after some argument, couldn’t be given away for free. As for the water, one agreed to pay for a cup, then left before it could be poured. The other simply said “I don’t wanna pay for this,” as the waitress handed it off and sighed a sigh it was clear she’d sighed before as the person walked away without paying for the cup.

Small offenses it may be, but with so many in around an hour it undoubtedly adds up. Others came in asking for the bathroom without buying and were allowed without argument, and one person asked for a water in-house, and was served and provided a table for free.

Like as I might to blame Jack’s for not being accommodating to those down on their luck I just couldn’t blame them.

As for the ham and eggs, well… it was ham and eggs. Simple as simple gets, but cooked right, and came out fast. The meal also came with toast and hash browns, and after adding salt to the eggs and potatoes (because who can fathom eating either without?) along with the ham it was more sodium than any bloodstream or heart ever needed.

I sadly couldn’t quite afford a coffee, but I imagine my heart thanked me for leaving out the caffeine after the sodium intake must have already destroyed my blood pressure.

Josh Cozine is a Chico State University journalism student. Each week he is asked to find a meal that costs no more than $11 (one hour at minimum wage), including tip, and then write about it. Email him at


Address: 540 Main St.

Telephone: (530) 343-8383

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Total spent: $8.61, tipped to $9.50