The Cottage Inn is officially open! What we know about its grand reopening

A long-running southern comfort food restaurant that closed its doors in the summer of 2021 is now re-open.

New owners have bought the Cottage Inn, 570 Eastern Parkway, and had a soft opening in mid-January with the same menu and even the same cook.

"The vision is to bring back the old Cottage Inn," said co-owner Kevin Trice, who purchased the Bradley neighborhood staple with his wife, Daniela Trice. "It’s great the way it is. You don’t change something when it’s great."

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The restaurant, which opened in 1929, stopped serving its array of fried comfort foods last year. A Facebook post in July 2021 announced a temporary closure, citing staffing shortages.

"We look forward to having good food, good smiles and our customers back soon ... Thanks for all your support and understanding in this hard time," read the post, in part.

"Please reopen," wrote one fan on the restaurant's Facebook page. "Missing your liver and onions!" and "I need the pork chops!" wrote others.

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Back in his undergraduate and medical school days at the University of Louisville, Kevin Trice lived on Eastern Parkway and would frequent Cottage Inn. He still remembers the hot coffee, fried chicken, and "wonderful cake."

It was over those years Trice learned about the restaurant's beloved place in the area's history. When he moved back to Louisville two years ago, the idea of owning a restaurant with his wife was a daydream for down the road.

But after seeing the "for sale" sign on the property earlier this year while visiting the nearby Dairy Kastle, plans changed quickly.

"I thought, 'What a chance to get involved in the history and get involved in the community,'" he said.

After it sat empty for more than a year, Jefferson County Property Valuation Administration records show the Trices bought the nearly 2,000-square-foot, 1929 stone cottage in October for $490,000.

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While the ownership is new, Trice emphasized he's not interested in changing much about the menu or ambiance of the restaurant. He made a point to reach out to the former cook, who plans to return.

The famous fried chicken, country fried steak, and fried chicken livers will stay the same. So will the tables and chairs.

And while he'll continue his full-time health care job, Trice said he and his wife won't be absentee owners. He's been in the restaurant's kitchen scrubbing the deep fryers and his wife has been cleaning the space for weeks.

“We love serving people," he said. "It’s the most basic thing when you care about someone, you cook for them or share a meal with them.”

The restaurant is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Business reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Cottage Inn has reopened, new owners bring back classic menu