New brunch spot, Morning Fork, opens at old North End Cafe location

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Brunch is being served again at the former home of the North End Café on Frankfort Avenue.

Morning Fork, an expansion of Fork & Barrel, opened Friday morning at 1722 Frankfort Ave. with a menu tailored to breakfast, brunch and lunch crowds.

For 17 years, the location housed the North End Café, but its owners filed for bankruptcy and closed in May. The owners of Fork & Barrel, which is located less than a mile away on Frankfort Avenue, saw the vacancy as an opportunity to expand.

"It's been a tricky time throughout the whole summer," said Geoffrey Heyde, the owner and executive chef of Morning Fork. "And when this opportunity came about, I was curious if it would actually be worthwhile. And I guess the biggest risk is not taking one. So it all kind of worked out."

Morning Fork restaurant in Louisville's Crescent Hill neighborhood

Heyde said the Sunday brunch business at Fork & Barrel had skyrocketed so much that they decided to make it the focal point of their new restaurant.

"We saw a need for brunch throughout the whole day and throughout the whole week, so we brought our brunch menu down here," Heyde said. "And we added several things like soups and salads and entrees."

Morning Fork plans to host themed brunches throughout the year, starting with a pajama brunch, by reservation only, on New Year's Day.

"The guests have been really supportive," Heyde said. "The staff is really eager. Some of our staff haven't worked for seven months, and they're all energetic to get back into the swing of things. And we're really excited to be able to provide a place of business for people to work and come enjoy."

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