CAMDEN - The Jack restaurant and bar at 43 Mechanic Street in Camden opened its doors on Friday, October 26. In addition to the usual bar and food staples, the venue offers bocce ball for recreation.

Owner Caleb Lachance said he wanted to create something unique for the Midcoast area.

“It’s always been my lifelong dream to own a restaurant, he said. “And when the opportunity came along to seize the moment, as they say, I took it. Also I wanted to do something the community could use and appreciate.”

Lachance said he wanted The Jack to be more than just a bar. 

“I’ve been in this space since May and I didn’t have this vision of bocce courts yet,” he said. “It wasn’t until I realized the potential of such a big space to realize not only the bocce, but something that’s new and different. Activities, especially at night are lacking, so I think this will be really nice.”

Lachance said he did his research regarding bars similar to the model employed in The Jack. 

“I’m not Italian,” he said. “I’ve played bocce growing up. People have done bocce and also ping pong where that’s the only thing you do. bocce is easily played and easily learned. It’s much more approachable than pool which most bars have, but I think once [the customers] try it, they’ll find it fun and a good way to have fun because you can drink and eat while you’re playing.”

Lachance added that the courts were a challenge to build.

“There’s code to meet and I had someone build the courts for me,” he said. “They are not regulation size courts. A regulation court is 12 feet wide by 91 feet long. It’s a very large court. And these fit in the space we have here. We’re not going to be hosting world class bocce tournaments for ESPN, but people can have fun and make for a good night out.”

The Jack also features a diverse menu.

“I wanted the menu to go well with bocce,” said Lachance. “I wanted to make it easy to play while eating and drinking. We wanted more of a casual setting where you could hang out and we wanted the food to reflect that.”

Lachance said the menu items reflect a desire to present both street food and elevated bar fare.

“We wanted more then just one type of food,” he said. “We have Mexican and Asian and Greek; a really nice collaboration of food from all over the world and we have pizza too. I spent a fair amount of time writing the menu and coming up with the recipes. My team is really happy with what we put together.”

There is a small dining area for those who opt for the casual aspect of the establishment and not play bocce.

Lachance is a resident of the Midcoast and grew up in Rockland.

“I’m very happy with the decision to open The Jack,” he said. “It feels good and right.”

bocce costs $5 per hour, per person. Menu items range from $6 to $12.

LaChance did not settle on the establishment’s name the construction of the bocce courts was underway.

“In the game of bocce you throw out a small white ball first and that’s the ball you score off of,” said Lachance. “That ball is referred to as the jack. It took quite a while to come up with the name. I wanted something easy to remember and had tired out several names with my family and friends. I wanted something that didn’t sound like anything else and we landed on ‘The Jack’ and it stuck.”

Ryan Howes was enjoying Cuban tacos and Greek ribs.

“Both are very important to me because they are gluten free,” said Howes. “I checked in a couple of weeks ago while they were putting the finishing touches on the bar and I had no idea that most of the menu items were gluten free. And he has a gluten free beer as well. I’m rating the food pretty high here.”

The Jack is open six nights a week, Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.