GLENDALE, Ky. (WDRB) – After a brief pause from serving up mouthwatering favorites, the Whistle Stop plans to re-open sometime in the next few weeks -- and this time it will be under new ownership.
Together as partners Mike Frantz and Deron Berthold purchased the property and iconic restaurant from Mike and Lynn Cummins.
"The local community wants it back open, and we're just tickled to be part of getting it back up and running and carrying on the tradition," said Frantz.
The Cummins announced in February their plans to put the restaurant up for auction so they can retire. Frantz and Berthold purchased it before the it hit the auction block.
"When we met these folks," said Mike Cummins, "I realized that I think they have the proper fit to carry this on. We know that when they open it back up, they're going to do a great job!"
This marks the third time ownership has changed hands at the restaurant, which has been serving southern comfort food since 1975. Frantz, the president of Tigs Development Inc., currently owns four Subways and the BoomBozz Pizza in Elizabethtown. He says Whistle Stop’s traditional same made-from-scratch menu will remain in place.
"The goal is to keep it the way that it's been," said Frantz. "And keep the tradition going on. This is not corporate America. So to put a corporate America twist on it or to change it -- would ruin this place as the Whistle Stop."
The restaurant has been hosting several hiring events over the last couple weeks, so that it will be fully staffed and prepared to open sometime before May 1. If you would like to apply for an open position, you can message the new owners on the restaurant's Facebook page.
The Whistle Stop closed temporarily in 2020 during the pandemic restrictions. The Cummins had been hoping to retire and spend more time with their grandkids for a while, and they decided during the time off that it was the right time to sell the restaurant.
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