Health department shuts down one of Lexington’s oldest restaurants

One of Lexington’s oldest restaurants, long known for its old-fashioned meat and vegetable offerings, has been shut down by the health department.

Thoroughbred Restaurant at 1483 Leestown Rd. was closed on Oct. 9, according to a red sign saying “This Establishment is Closed” on the front door of the business.

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The health department did not immediately release records of why the restaurant was closed. No one was answered the phone at Thoroughbred and owner Mark Smith could not be immediately reached.

Historic Lexington restaurant

Thoroughbred Restaurant is Lexington’s second-oldest still existing restaurant, beaten only by the original Columbia Steakhouse on North Limestone.

Thoroughbred has been in the same shopping center since 1954, when the building was new, serving a variety of daily menu specials from meatloaf and baked chicken to ribs and burgers. And the desserts are made fresh in-house daily.

While the restaurant remained closed on Oct. 11, inside everything appeared normal, with tables and chairs set up for business.

What does health department closure mean?

When the health department closes a restaurant, a red sign is placed on the door to notify potential customers that food service has been halted. But the health department does not publicize that restaurants have been closed and does not post on its website why a business was shut down.

Restaurants are closed when the health department finds an imminent risk to public health such as insect or rodent infestation, lack of running water or sewage contamination.

Establishments that score below 60 on an inspection also are immediately closed.

Inspection history

In 2022, Thoroughbred Restaurant was placed on the health department’s Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement list. The restaurant scored 76 on an August inspection; any food service provider that scored below 80 is placed on the list, which means it will be inspected three times a year instead of two.

In September 2023, Thoroughbred Restaurant scored 94 on an inspection, according to data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Inspection scores are available online at the Lexington health department’s web site. But it does not show all inspection scores and is sometimes out of date.

In June, the Herald-Leader published an updated list of the 166 restaurants and food service providers that are under enhanced regulatory enforcement, formerly called probation, by the health department.