Coronavirus casualties: These Lexington restaurants won’t be coming back
With the COVID pandemic restrictions on restaurants finally easing, many are looking to reopen dining rooms, at least for some patrons. But there are some Lexington restaurants that won’t be coming back — at all.
Locals’ Craft Food & Drink on National Avenue apparently has closed for good.
Chad Walker of Walker Properties, which owns the building on the corner of National and Walton, confirmed that the restaurant closed rather than renew the lease. The restaurant’s owner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Locals’ was offering takeout until recently.
Another locally owned restaurant that has closed: Nick Ryan’s on Jefferson Street.
Owners Brad Scott and Jackson McReynolds decided to put the turn-key restaurant up for sale.
“We’re hoping someone will take it and run with it,” Scott said. “It has a beautiful patio.”
The restaurant closed March 20 for the pandemic and has not reopened.
Scott said that the lease was up in June and even with the reopening they just didn’t feel ready to sign on for another five years. Instead, they will focus on their other restaurants, A.P. Suggins and The Tulip, both on Romany.
“We’re more geared toward the Chevy Chase area,” Scott said. They bought Nick Ryan’s five years ago from longtime Lexington restaurant owners Don and Barb Wathen, who still own the building.
Lexington also is losing at least one chain restaurant: It looks like the city’s last TGI Friday’s on Pavilion Way in Hamburg has closed. Signs were taken off the building and the chain’s web site no longer lists a location in Lexington.
TGI Friday’s franchisee Falcons Group Management issued a statement Friday:
“It is with great sadness that we must close our Lexington restaurant as a result of the unprecedented financial burden due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank our loyal guests, valued team members, and the TGI Fridays community for their support throughout the years.”
The closing leaves only two TGI Friday’s left in Kentucky, one in Crestview Hills in Northern Kentucky and the other in downtown Louisville.
Edley’s Bar-B-Que, which was at The Summit at Fritz Farm, also apparently won’t be coming back either. A response from Edley’s on the restaurant’s Facebook page to a customer asking when the Tennessee-based chain would be reopening said “unfortunately we are not.” The restaurant’s phone number has been disconnected.
The Summit at Fritz Farm also announced recently that it plans to close The Barn, which was Kentucky’s first food hall. For now, Crank & Boom ice cream is still offering curbside carryout from that location. And Whiskey Bear plans to reopen when bars are allowed. But other food stalls including Smithtown Seafood, Atomic Ramen and Athenian Grill will close those locations permanently.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 5:15 PM.
