Hard to Believe But Jerry’s Restaurant Closed in Owensboro 34 Years Ago

Get ready, Italian food lovers and lovers of Italian restaurants. I'm about to make you do a figurative double-take. The late, great Jerry's Restaurant is the reason I love spaghetti. And in 1978, the price was something you could fall in love with, too.

Jerry's Restaurant

On the other hand, spaghetti isn't necessarily the reason I loved Jerry's, but it helped. Nostalgia is a big factor here, as well as the iconic regional chain's hot fudge cake. Who remembers hot fudge cake? A decade ago, Kentucky Fried Nerd rediscovered this dessert classic at Jerry's in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

I'm a little jealous of Bowling Green; it got to hang onto its Jerry's Restaurant until somewhere around 2019 or 2020. Here in Owensboro, we've done without all that comfort-food goodness for 34 years.

Jerry's in Owensboro Closed in 1992

That's right, Jerry's Restaurant, which occupied the corner of Frederica Street and Lafayette Drive before it closed. Honestly, though, nearly everything on the east side of Frederica is different from when I was a kid, so it's hard to say for certain. But I'm right on that guess, absent any confirmation I could find online. And I couldn't.

But yes, 34 years. I couldn't believe it. What a great hangout, too. Sure, the dinners were delicious, but it was also a meeting place where folks could just sit, chat, have coffee, and catch up on the day. (Old school social media, if you will.) And, in my opinion, Jerry's was THE after-church dining destination—Sunday morning or Sunday evening, either one.

The Last Jerry's in Kentucky

If you're a big enough fan, make sure you visit the last remaining Jerry's Restaurant in the Commonwealth. It's located in Paris, Kentucky, and has been there since 1961.

God bless 'em for still going strong.