New restaurant opens in Bluegrass Stockyards with meaty, made-from-scratch specialties
A new restaurant has opened in the Bluegrass Stockyards between Lexington and Georgetown.
The Cattle Drive opened Nov. 9 for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday in the space where Darae Marcum’s Hayden’s Stockyard opened in September 2017 in the new stockyards.
But during the pandemic, Hayden’s struggled and Marcum decided to focus on her catering instead.
Now Marshall “Mack” Settle and his wife, Cheryl “Tootie” Settle, have launched a new restaurant with a hearty menu.
It’s actually their second restaurant in the neighborhood: The Settles also run the main Paddock Cafe restaurant and concessions in the nearby Kentucky Horse Park, Mack Settle said. Their Pink Cloud Service began offering food at horse shows all over the south, and in 2014 they moved from Tennessee to Kentucky to work at the park full time under contractor Levy Restaurants.
When Tootie saw that the restaurant in the stockyards was going to be open, she urged Mack to call, see if they could expand.
“Hayden’s was very successful but it didn’t continue,” Mack Settle said. “Sometimes hard times create opportunities.”
The Cattle Drive features a Tootie’s made-from-scratch specialties.
Breakfast, served from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes platters of eggs cooked to order with sides, pancakes, yogurt and more.
Tootie Settle said that the five-story omelet and the breakfast burrito have been popular because people can pick the five items they want to go in.
“Everything’s made to order and we don’t cook ahead,” she said.
Lunch, which starts at 10:30 a.m., has lots of flame-cooked meats, including steaks, chicken and six-ounce burgers. The menu has grilled sandwiches and fried sides, including hand-dipped fried zucchini and fresh-cooked potato chips.
There are lighter options as well, including soup and salads, deli sandwiches and wraps made to order.
“This is a corned beef crowd,” Tootie said. “I’m selling lots of Reubens.”
After the first of the year, Mack Settle said, they hope to add Sunday brunch and dinner. During the coronavirus shutdown, it’s carryout only but when dining in returns, the Settles plan to return and after the first of the year will add more hours.
“I hope to bring back the Friday night fish fry and want to build a dinner crowd,” he said.
The Cattle Drive
Where: 4561 Iron Works Pike, inside Bluegrass Stockyards
Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday for now
Serves: Breakfast all day, lunch starting at 10:30
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
