LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For 100 years, Wagner's Pharmacy has been an iconic part of Churchill Downs. Now, the family is taking over a staple inside the track and calling it Wagner's Track Kitchen.
The Track Kitchen has been on the backside right against the rail for decades.
"It's the greatest racetrack in the world, and we're just lucky to have a front row seat for it," said Lee Wagner, general manager at Wagner's Pharmacy and now, Wagner's Track Kitchen.
"You can have breakfast and they practically run up to you while you're eating. There's nowhere else where you can have this view in the morning and have breakfast."
The area the kitchen sits in is one of the oldest at Churchill Downs. It used to be home to the original Jockey's Club. One of the oldest trees at the track sits right outside the doors.
"This building has that nostalgic view similar to what we have across the street, yet you have a front row seat — front row window — to what Churchill Downs is doing," Wagner said.
The kitchen is rooted in history and serves some of the hardest working people at the track. Horsemen spend their short breaks grabbing breakfast at the restaurant before heading back to their stables to tend to the horses.
"We understand that the horsemen are always working, so they don't have a lot of time," Wagner said. "It's important for us to try to make sure that we can get them the food fast."
About a month ago, Churchill Downs asked the Wagner family to take over the necessity. They agreed to the deal, which isn't completely new to them. The Wagners ran the kitchen from the 1990s to about 2010. There is even a memorial bench right outside the kitchen doors for Wagner's late father, the past owner. He said coming back to the kitchen was a nostalgic moment.
"I remember taking the truck out in the morning and selling all the things, being in here at 4:30 in the morning working through high school and college," Wagner said of the kitchen's mobile unit that drove around the backside.
Coming back to the kitchen has not been the easiest task though, especially during the busiest time for the Wagner flagship business. Wagner said hiring reliable workers has proved to be difficult.
"It is tough times right now and it's hard to find help," he said. "Anybody that loves horses and is a morning person, we'd love to have them."
Wagner said he is hiring for all positions, part-time and full-time. The kitchen is open from mid-March to mid-December, and when it is closed, Wagner said there will be a job ready for employees across the street at Wagner's Pharmacy.
Wagner's Trackside Kitchen
While he works through staffing challenges, his team continues to keep the horsemen happy, and Wagner looks to the future of what the kitchen can be.
"Of course, it's always going to be a place for the horsemen to get their food and get it quick," he said. "But I can definitely see down the road where there could be, with this view, an opportunity to have some seats. It gives more people the opportunity to see the Kentucky Derby and Oaks with a different view."
Wagner's Track Kitchen is not open to the public. Visitors have to have a backside access pass or take a Kentucky Derby Museum Backside Tour.
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