KFC Eleven no longer frying?

When I drove by KFC Eleven at the confluence of Bardstown and Baxter yesterday afternoon, there was brown paper covering the windows. Not too surprising, after lackluster reviews here and the fact it never seemed busy; I guess YUM finally pulled the plug on the concept.

What's next for that space? Just another regular KFC? Or maybe one of the other YUM test-beds like Super Chix, their wannabe Chick-Fil-A killer? The initial test locations in Dallas have apparently been very successful.

[Robin Garr]

Yeah, I saw that on Facebook ... probably should have posted, but KFC.

I'm not sure whether to mark it as failure, though. It was billed as a test concept from the beginning, an experiment with a finite life that might be put into production if it worked out.

The more surprising news to me was that they're apparently going to sell the property rather than use it for other KFC purposes. Given the nature of the neighborhood, that opens up the possibility for something more interesting ... if the price is right!

That property has not been overly successful for Yum! Even back when it was just a KFC the place was routinely empty, despite lush parking. Would be nice to have something unique in that wedge.

Maybe someone will put a pizza place in there.

I heard that it was going to be a parking lot for the Holy Grale.


Of wait......

[Robin Garr]

Maybe someone will put a pizza place in there.

What could possibly go wrong?

I am surprised with how generous they are with allowing non customer parking. I would imagine that will change with new ownership and concept.

Maybe someone will put a pizza place in there.

Say what you will about too much pizza, but we are on the cusp of creating a new sobriquet for the area if we can get another pizza joint--Piccola Italia, or "Pic It" This could be bigger than So Fo (south fourth st).

Just as long as it doesn't get named "PieLu" or "PuLu"

Insider Louisville has a poll with five options asking what folks would like to see there. So far 53% are voting for an outdoor biergarten. Interesting as either that spot or the one where Walgreens is (not sure the geography & changes over a long time) was a beer garden at one time.

Insider Louisville has a poll with five options asking what folks would like to see there. So far 53% are voting for an outdoor biergarten. Interesting as either that spot or the one where Walgreens is (not sure the geography & changes over a long time) was a beer garden at one time.

For a biergarten, I like this Tyler Park proposal better: http://brokensidewalk.com/2014/tyler-park-beer-garden/

Insider Louisville has a poll with five options asking what folks would like to see there. So far 53% are voting for an outdoor biergarten. Interesting as either that spot or the one where Walgreens is (not sure the geography & changes over a long time) was a beer garden at one time.

For a biergarten, I like this Tyler Park proposal better: http://brokensidewalk.com/2014/tyler-park-beer-garden/

I saw that proposal and it really looks interesting, definitely something that Louisville would welcome with open arms. However, I really don't think the appropriate place for it is in the middle of a neighborhood setting like this! At the present time this is a very quiet, neighborhood friendly park. Putting the biergarten would certainly change this considerably and affect the neighborhood. It would bring a lot of traffic and noise to the neighborhood and probably create a huge parking mess for area residents.

Insider Louisville has a poll with five options asking what folks would like to see there. So far 53% are voting for an outdoor biergarten. Interesting as either that spot or the one where Walgreens is (not sure the geography & changes over a long time) was a beer garden at one time.

There is already an outdoor biergarten bordering that space. Not that you can have too many, but that seems unnecessary.

On the other hand, If Grale wanted to expand and take over the whole space, that would be fine by me!

I saw that proposal and it really looks interesting, definitely something that Louisville would welcome with open arms. However, I really don't think the appropriate place for it is in the middle of a neighborhood setting like this! At the present time this is a very quiet, neighborhood friendly park. Putting the biergarten would certainly change this considerably and affect the neighborhood. It would bring a lot of traffic and noise to the neighborhood and probably create a huge parking mess for area residents.

I understand the concerns, and they have merit. But the fact we don't have many of these sort of biergartens in the US is this weird post-Prohibition bifurcation we have between places where people live and places where people drink. Drinking is so associated with inebriation, partying, and hullabaloo here that nobody wants a place serving alcohol in their backyard. Understandable, again, but maybe a place like this in a neighborhood setting, with strict enforcement against noise and disruption problems, would help shift things in a healthier direction.

[Robin Garr]

I understand the concerns, and they have merit. But the fact we don't have many of these sort of biergartens in the US is this weird post-Prohibition bifurcation we have between places where people live and places where people drink. Drinking is so associated with inebriation, partying, and hullabaloo here that nobody wants a place serving alcohol in their backyard. Understandable, again, but maybe a place like this in a neighborhood setting, with strict enforcement against noise and disruption problems, would help shift things in a healthier direction.

Yeah, and as a resident of Crescent Hill living within hearing distance of the Porcini-to-Craft-House row, I'd suggest that people who choose urban living may be a little more tolerant of reasonably well curated fun than outer suburbanites like Mark. Now, when people start urinating in your front yard, leaving trash down the side streets and screwing up parking, that all changes. But a well-run beer garden down in Tyler Park that didn't encourage loud drunks and that closed at a reasonable hour? I'm not sure that folks along Tyler Parkway would get all bent out of shape about that.