Lexington restaurant chain closes second location in 16 months. Owner shares why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Vinaigrette closed its downtown Lexington café, ending a decade-long run.
- This marks the second closure in 16 months, following Townley Square in April 2024.
- Three Vinaigrette locations remain open in Hamburg, Palomar Centre, and Louisville.
A popular restaurant chain that got its start in Lexington is closing a second location in less than a year.
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen announced that the downtown Lexington location in The Square has closed.
This was the second location of the salad and soup chain, opening in 2015 on Broadway near Urban Outfitters after a major remodel of the shopping center.
Vinaigrette’s first location in Townley Square closed last fall after a decade. At that time, the restaurant urged patrons to visit the Broadway location, which was its closest, only 2.3 miles away.
Now that location is gone as well.
In a post on social media Vianigrette Salad Kitchen said: “It is with heavy hearts that we share some difficult news: our Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen café on Broadway at the Square will not reopen. This chapter is closing, and we feel the weight of saying goodbye to a place that has meant so much to us — and, we hope, to you as well.
“From the very beginning, this café has been more than just a place to grab a meal. It has been a space where friends gathered, stories were shared, and community was built. We are deeply grateful for every smile, every conversation, and every visit you have shared with us here.”
Owner Bryce Anderson said in an email, “We really believe in downtown Lexington and think there’s a bright future for it, especially with the new parks and projects opening up but that store has really struggled since Covid and never recovered.”
Anderson said that the fast-casual restaurant business model continues to struggle in urban locations where delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash have “become the predominant way people are purchasing their food when they’re looking for something quick and convenient.”
“I use those services personally and understand the convenience but it does make it challenging to run an economically viable store when the majority of the sales happen outside the store with the fees and added complexity,” Anderson said. “Our other locations (Hamburg and Palomar) are still strong and should be around for a long time but after pulling this one along for a while it was time to close it.”
There are still two locations in Lexington — in Hamburg and in Palomar Centre — and one in Louisville on Bardstown Road.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 12:02 PM.
