TV Restaurants

What Happened to Ducky's Family Restaurant? (Kokomo, IN)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Ducky's Family Restaurant has closed — confirmed via insideindianabusiness.com, August 18, 2015.

Primary source
insideindianabusiness.com ·
Secondary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Inside INdiana Business reported that Ducky's Family Restaurant was shut down by the Indiana Department of Revenue roughly two months after its 2013 television appearance over about $200,000 in unpaid taxes; Yelp's listing, updated May 2026, still shows it permanently closed.

  • Season / episode Season 7, Episode 2
  • Original air date
  • Address 816 E Markland Ave, Kokomo, IN 46901

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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) visited Ducky's Family Restaurant, a longtime diner at 816 E. Markland Avenue in Kokomo, Indiana, for the episode "Feathers Fly," which aired October 30, 2013, opening the show's seventh season alongside the Mama Campisi's episode. Ducky's had served the Kokomo community for more than 50 years, founded decades earlier by Donald "Ducky" Duncan and later run by his family, including owner Bill Duncan, who spoke to reporters about the business's struggles. According to Inside INdiana Business, the restaurant had weathered earlier setbacks, including the founder's death and a decision to go smoke-free ahead of a citywide smoking ordinance that took effect in 2006. As shown in the episode, host Robert Irvine's team spent roughly two days and about $10,000 reworking the restaurant's menu, kitchen operations and dining room in the show's standard format, aiming to help the family restaurant regain its footing after decades in business at the same Markland Avenue location. That renovation did not resolve the business's underlying financial problems. Inside INdiana Business reported on August 18, 2015, that Ducky's had been shut down by the Indiana Department of Revenue roughly two months after the episode aired, with owner Bill Duncan telling the outlet that the business owed approximately $200,000 in unpaid state taxes at the time of the closure. That places the restaurant's closure around late 2013 or very early 2014, only a matter of months after its national television appearance, according to Inside INdiana Business's account of the timeline. A Yelp listing for Ducky's Family Restaurant, updated as recently as May 2026, continues to mark the Markland Avenue address as permanently closed, and no subsequent reopening under the Ducky's name or new ownership at that address has been identified in the sources reviewed for this record, consistent with the tax-related shutdown Inside INdiana Business described in its 2015 report.

Featured on Restaurant: Impossible

Season / episode
Season 7, Episode 2
Original air date
Episode title
Feathers Fly
What was featured
a longtime family diner's menu, kitchen and dining room during a two-day renovation
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Ducky's Family Restaurant

Frequently asked questions

Is Ducky's Family Restaurant still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Ducky's Family Restaurant has closed — confirmed via insideindianabusiness.com, August 18, 2015.

What happened to Ducky's Family Restaurant after Restaurant: Impossible?

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network) visited Ducky's Family Restaurant, a longtime diner at 816 E. As of September 2026, Ducky's Family Restaurant has closed — confirmed via insideindianabusiness.com, August 18, 2015.

Is Ducky's Family Restaurant permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Ducky's Family Restaurant has closed — confirmed via insideindianabusiness.com, August 18, 2015. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Ducky's Family Restaurant located?

816 E Markland Ave, Kokomo, IN 46901. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured Ducky's Family Restaurant?

Season 7, Episode 2 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired October 30, 2013. The episode is titled “Feathers Fly”.

Did the makeover last at Ducky's Family Restaurant?

The episode first aired October 30, 2013. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 13 years later —: As of September 2026, Ducky's Family Restaurant has closed — confirmed via insideindianabusiness.com, August 18, 2015.

What do reviews say since Restaurant: Impossible?

A Yelp listing for Ducky's Family Restaurant, updated as recently as May 2026, continues to mark the Markland Avenue address as permanently closed, and no subsequent reopening under the Ducky's name or new ownership at that address has been identified in the sources reviewed for this record, consistent with the tax-related shutdown Inside INdiana Business described in its 2015 report. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Is Ducky's Family Restaurant still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?

As shown in the episode, host Robert Irvine's team spent roughly two days and about $10,000 reworking the restaurant's menu, kitchen operations and dining room in the show's standard format, aiming to help the family restaurant regain its footing after decades in business at the same Markland Avenue location. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
816 E Markland Ave, Kokomo, IN 46901
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • insideindianabusiness.com — https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/longtime-kokomo-eatery-shuts-down
  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/duckys-family-restaurant-kokomo

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