LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many restaurants are feeling the sting of COVID-19 in Louisville, but there are a few new foodie destinations attempting to break into the culinary scene.
The restaurant on the 25th floor of the Galt House has been shut down and under construction for 14 months. And now, the old ReVue is about to open as Swizzle next week.
“We wanted to do something different,” said Scott Shoenberger, president and CEO of Al J. Schneider Company. “We want to be approachable. We want it to be local. We want it to be a place where people can feel proud working here, too.”
The restaurant was gutted, the layout was reworked, the design was modernized, and the menu was spiced up.
“We needed to refresh the hotel," Shoenberger said. "One of the things we talked about is all great hotels have great restaurants. So this is really an independent restaurant design concept. We wanted something really for the locals to come to. The objective for us was to give people a reason to go up 25 stories."
Shoenberger said it was time for the classic hotel restaurant to get a facelift in the 21st Century so that it no longer feels like a hotel restaurant. He doesn’t believe in white table cloths or a stuffy atmosphere, so Swizzle is more about “the experience, the vibe, relaxing.”
Opening up a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic is a challenge, but Shoenberger hopes it’s worth the effort and risk.
“We look at this long term," he said. "So one of the reasons we opened up Swizzle, No. 1, is Derby is coming and the restaurant is ready. No. 2 is we really want to give people a reason to come in and experience how different this hotel is today. And it also helps as a major anchor in the hotel business, to help drive future business to Louisville."
With a brief glance downtown, between the boarded-up windows and plywood, at least two new restaurant signs stick out. Melba’s Culinary Canvas is a new restaurant under construction in the empty storefront at the corner of West Jefferson and Fifth streets. The Sauce, a new restaurant boasting southern comfort foods and cocktails, is preparing for its grand opening soon near the corner of Market and Third streets.
Shoenberger said it’s important that Louisville’s hospitality industry continues to grow and thrive.
“That’s part of what we’re trying to do as a community, as a hotel community, a tourism destination. Really as a place known for great hospitality and wonderful people,” he said.
The hotel restaurant’s new name is part of Louisville history. Swizzle was a supper club in the 1940s and 1950s on Chestnut Street. Shoenberger said he knew right away that would be the perfect name to bring back to life, because “that doesn’t sound like something the old Galt House would do and we needed to do something unexpected.”
Prices on the dinner menu range between $18 to $48 for entrees, and cocktails are around $13 each. There is also a full bar, bourbon tasting experiences, and a temperature-controlled wine wall. The restaurant is currently taking online reservations for when it opens next week, and there are special events planned for Derby week.
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