Grant and Lisa McDonald assumed ownership of Norman McDonald’s Country Drive-In in the early 1990s. After more than three decades of trials and tribulations, they recently sold the restaurant to Grant’s cousin, Mark McDonald.
The transition is full circle for Mark, who spent many years working at Norman McDonald’s as a teenager — eventually meeting his wife Julie there. Grant and Lisa have a similar story, meeting each other while working at Norman’s before taking over the reins as owners.
“It hasn’t always been easy – we’ve overcome financial struggles and made many sacrifices to keep it up and running,” Grant said. “It’s taken a lot of love and family to keep this place open. Without family, it’s hard for an independent business to survive. I’m excited to see it stay in the family.”
Mark has worked at Shoe Carnival for the past 38 years. It piqued his interest when he learned that Grant and Lisa wanted to retire and discussed auctioning the restaurant off.
“I didn’t want to see the place leave our family – it’s been a part of the family since 1964,” Mark said. “We have no real grand aspirations, just to keep the restaurant in the family a little longer. And we will do that by doing what we’ve been doing all these years – putting the community first.”
When Norman McDonald opened the restaurant, KY 54 was a new concept and the only businesses were Doug Evan’s Car Lot and Roby’s Garage. While he wanted to secure land at the intersection of Fairview and KY 54 — where Walgreens sits now — Grant said it wasn’t quite in the budget.
So, Philpot it was.
“Dad worked for Holland Dairy and always wanted to open a restaurant,” Grant said. “I remember he would sit on a stump (where the restaurant sits) and count the cars that drove by to see if there would be enough traffic. He borrowed what money he could from his mom and dad, family, and the bank, and got started.”
Grant said his dad slept at the restaurant many nights during its early years, operating 7 days a week. Business boomed, forcing Norman to add a dining room just a few months after opening.
“It took off,” Grant said. “People were coming from everywhere. It was something new, and it was an exciting thing for everyone in the community.”
Grant started washing dishes when he was 9 years old, learning the value of hard work at an early age. Since taking over, he and Lisa have seen the restaurant through many recessions and a pandemic. They said they have their son Nathan, their family, and the community to thank for the restaurant’s continued success.
“We only hope that you all will give them the same love, respect, and patience that you have given us all these years,” Lisa said. “We want to thank our present and past employees, family, and customers. We have been blessed with more than we deserve.”
Mark met his wife Julie while working at the restaurant and are passionate about keeping the family business thriving. His daughter Lacey will join him on the business venture, as the two have been working diligently with Grant and Lisa to learn the operations for several months now.
“When I used to work here, it was all family,” Mark said. “It’s going to be a blast working with my daughter, and I hope we can get a few more family members down there. We have a lot of good memories at this place, and we’re looking forward to making more.”
