Two more Lexington restaurants close due to COVID, another declares bankruptcy
The coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing limits on dine-in patrons at restaurants and the economic hardships they have caused continue to take a toll on Lexington’s dining scene.
While some restaurants are opening with 33 percent of their indoor capacity and outdoor seating, others are closing for good and at least one high-end project has been scrapped, at least for now.
Now, other restaurants are closing or are in financial jeopardy.
Jennifer Murray, owner of Merrick Inn and Josie’s, said they will not reopen the Josie’s location in Georgetown on the Scott, Fayette County line near the Kentucky Horse Park.
The second location of the popular Lexington casual dining restaurant in Chevy Chase opened at 1973 Lexington Rd., just off Ironworks Pike, in 2017 and was doing well until the COVID outbreak hit.
The restaurant offered carryout orders for a while after Gov. Andy Beshear ordered dining in closed. But after a member of the waitstaff tested positive for COVID-19, Murray announced that the restaurant would close for two weeks.
But now, she said, they’ve made the decision not to reopen after all.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Murray said in an email.
She said they’d had the restaurant for almost three years and had even worked to get liquor laws changed in Scott County.
But now, she said, “With PPE and 33 percent, it just does not pay the bills,” she said. “We’re dying. We’re out of money. We’re going to try to focus Chevy Chase and Merrick and our Trick’s Beer Cheese.”
Merrick Inn, which has a large patio, has reopened. Murray said they hope to reopen Josie’s in Chevy Chase later this month.
“We’re hoping to have a tent at Chevy Chase to give us some more seating, which could add 7 or 8 more tables, between us and Best of Flowers,” she said.
Gather on Main closing
Another Lexington restaurant, Gather on Main, announced on social media that it would be closing. The sandwich, coffee and craft beer spot opened at 233 East Main St. as The Casual Pint in 2017 before dropping the franchise to go local in the summer of 2019.
Owner Jason Elsea said Thursday that he and his wife, Megan, had been on track for their best month ever in March, when COVID-19 hit.
“Reopening at 33 percent capacity, being fairly new, it was going to cost us more to be open than to remain closed,” he said. “We really love the community there, loved everyone around us, like Gray Construction. Lots of city workers would come over for lunch.”
Lexington’s HopCat reopening?
The fate of another downtown Lexington restaurant is still up in the air.
HopCat, 410 West Short St., has been closed since the March shutdown. And now the company, headquartered in Michigan, has filed for bankruptcy to reorganize. Some locations began reopening this week but Lexington’s has not.
But in an email, HopCat founder Mark Sellers indicated that the restaurant could reopen.
“We are currently in negotiations with the landlord and, as a result, have not made a decision about the timing of our reopening in Lexington,” Seller said. “We will make an announcement about this location as soon as we have any news to share. Thank you.”
HopCat opened in the fall of 2015 in a renovated building that is part of the larger Victorian Square dining and shopping center.
The restaurant features lots of craft beer and casual dining favorites including its famously tasty fries and cheese sauce.
Victorian Square is owned by the Webb Companies; Dudley Webb did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 4:06 PM.
