Joe Bologna’s sold: What does new owner plan for one of Lexington’s oldest restaurants?
A longtime Lexington pizza restaurant that’s been a favorite with Wildcat players and University of Kentucky students for decades will not close after all. Instead, it’s changing hands.
Joe Bologna, who turned 79 in April, said earlier this year that he had decided to sell his popular restaurant after 51 years in business at various locations. If he didn’t find a buyer, he would close the Maxwell Street place in August.
“It’s time to retire,” Bologna said in March. “It’s the end of my lease, and although I have an option to stay another five years, I don’t want to work into my 80s.”
Now, he said, he plans to sell Joe Bologna’s to Brandon Thurman, a Kentucky native who recently opened a new bar on Short Street.
Bologna told the Herald-Leader on June 18 that he plans to continue working full-time through the end of the year before turning the restaurant, known for its pizza, giant breadsticks and Italian favorites, over to the new owner in 2025.
“New Year’s Eve will be my last day,” Bologna said. Over the next five months he plans to train Thurman on how to run the restaurant.
The menu will stay the same and employees will be kept on, Bologna said.
And Bologna plans on coming in frequently too.
“I’m not leaving Lexington,” he said. “I’ll come into the restaurant and greet customers but turn things over in the back. And he’ll keep it the same. ... I think that’s important.”
In 2023, Joe Bologna celebrated 50 years in business.
Bologna said that the business had struggled in recent years with the 2009 recession, the 2020 pandemic closures and subsequent higher prices.
“As soon as I announced my retirement, business jumped 38 percent, so I’m going out strong,” Bologna said.
He said that the last few months had been emotional. “Deciding to retire was one thing, but I’ve been listening to customers’ stories about how long they’ve been coming in. It’s overwhelming ... I’ve had little kids come up and say they’ve had every birthday dinner at Joe Bologna’s and they want to keep having them there.”
Now it looks like that will happen.
Will new Joe Bologna’s owner change pizza restaurant, menu?
Thurman, who recently opened High-Proof Hideaway at 249 W. Short St. in the former ELIXIR/Parlay Social spot, confirmed that he is buying Joe Bologna’s and plans to run it in partnership with his stepfather, Bill Bedini.
“From the moment I stepped into its welcoming atmosphere, the aroma of freshly baked bread and simmering marinara sauce enveloped me like a comforting childhood memory,” Thurman said in a statement.
“Joe Bologna’s wasn’t just a restaurant; it was a living, breathing symbol of Lexington’s hospitality and culinary tradition. When I heard he was retiring, I immediately wanted to find a way to make sure it did not close its doors at its iconic location. After my time in the military, I was eager to return back to Lexington, and spend time with my own family,” Thurman said. “I spoke with Mr. Bologna many times and wanted to assure him that my intention was not only to acquire a business but to become a steward of his restaurant’s legacy. I wanted to ensure that it continues to thrive in the years to come, without changing any detail to what he’s built. Why change what has worked for 50 years?”
Thurman, who had been serving in the Army, also has a bar in Hawaii called Anna O’Brien’s, an Irish pub. He’s a native of Bourbon County and graduated from the University of Kentucky before joining the Army.
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 10:43 AM.
