LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jean Sheehan and her niece are regulars at Mike Linnig's Restaurant on Cane Run Road in southwest Louisville. The lunch crowd wasted no time as soon as the doors opened on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

"They got their ashes on their head," Sheehan said of a group of other customers. "Of course we don't because we came here first."

After opening for its 100th season last month, Mike Linnig's is preparing for the annual Lenten rush. Behind the counter it is a well-orchestrated — yet chaotic — scene.

"It's big," owner Bill Linnig said. "Everyone on the Fridays, you can always tell a big difference. And if the weather is right, then we really get slammed."

University of Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm wasted no time getting his Lenten fish fix, showing up for lunch Wednesday at Mike Linnig's.

Brohm said he's a regular customer at Mike Linnig's and he didn't leave Wednesday before ordering some takeout boxes for some family members.

Mike Linnig's been serving Louisville since 1925, known for generous portions of fried fish, shrimp, frog legs and onion rings. But Linnig said it's time for their brand to expand. Pending zoning approval, the 1917 family home on the property will become a restaurant gift shop.

Mike Linnig's House

Pending zoning approval, the 1917 family home on the Mike Linnig's property will become a restaurant gift shop. Feb. 14, 2024. (WDRB Photo)

"(It'll) give the ladies a chance when they are waiting on their food to go across and shop and do a little something, something a little unique," he said Wednesday.

Sheehan said the place isn't just a Lenten staple. It's a Louisville staple where they come to feel at home.

"(They) talk to people like it's family, all of us, and you don’t meet one bad person," she said. "Everybody is just excited."

Linnig said he hopes to one day expand the restaurant even more to include more seating and more areas for people to gather.

"The pandemic didn't get us, the economy didn't get us, (and the) labor shortage didn't get us," he said. "We're going to keep on going."

To learn more about Mike Linnig's Restaurant, click here.

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