Legends Sports Bar & Grill in Lake Forest Town Center on Highway 54 opened in October of 2017 and continues to experience steady growth. The establishment features several large-screen televisions, upwards of 40 taps of both domestic and craft beers, and a menu that takes ‘bar food’ to another level.
General Manager, Larry Clark, attributes much of their success to the atmosphere as a whole.
“We always want to provide an upscale yet welcoming environment,” Clark said. “We pride ourselves on our staff, and we feel that we have one of the best.”
Lifelong developer and owner, Bill Jones, determined the location to be ideal and relied on his team to generate ideas regarding the name and other daily operations. Jones is also remembered in town for serving as the first quarterback in Daviess County High School history in the 1950s. He and Clark were both adamant, however, that the name far exceeded Jones’ football playing days.
“I was the best quarterback they ever had, at the time,” Jones joked. “A group of us threw different names and ideas out there and this is the name we finally came up with for a sports bar.”
“We really wanted to focus on local [sports] legends that came out of Owensboro,” Clark said.
One step inside of Legend’s and the basis for the name is quite evident. The walls are covered in local sports memorabilia that highlight some of Owensboro and Daviess County’s finest athletes and people.
While the restaurant capitalizes on the many neighborhoods that are in close proximity, their clientele continues to expand to neighboring communities. This was especially true when they hosted autograph signings for all of the Kentucky Wildcat players that entered this year’s NBA draft. These events saw people from across the state and even country enter Legends for an opportunity to meet their favorite Wildcats.
“The UK players let people who have never been here before come out,” Jones said. “It really improved our identity – it’s crazy how far people traveled.”
In addition to the autograph signing events, the restaurant makes certain to feature all major sporting events for UK as well as many other local colleges and universities on their high-def televisions.
“Owensboro is a big fan of the University of Kentucky,” Clark said. “For nearly every football game and during every basketball game, we were maxed out as far as occupancy.”
Both Jones and Clark were quick to note that they also strive to cater to their many Louisville and Western fans that frequent the establishment on game days. The sports bar also features the NFL’s Sunday Ticket that allows them to televise every NFL game throughout the season.
Legends also plays host to the Kentucky Wesleyan College Sports Show that features long-time broadcaster, Joel Utley, and men’s basketball coach, Drew Cooper as well as other Wesleyan athletic coaches. The show airs weekly on Monday evenings.
Both Jones and Clark hope to continue with their many community involvement events. Legends frequently allows many local nonprofits an opportunity to host fundraising events at their establishment.
“We really want to give back to the community for special events — various fundraisers for people in need,” Clark said.
Based on consumer reviews, Jones highlighted both their burgers and their Reuben sandwich as some menu favorites.
“We use certified Angus beef which is the best you can buy,” Jones said.
“There is a guy that comes in here every week, he used to live in California,” Jones said. “He comes in for the Reuben sandwich which is hard to find at other places.
While the two look forward to continuing to provide the best in food and entertainment for the Owensboro area, they also find joy for themselves in their efforts.
“We love what we do, it’s a lot of fun,” Clark said. “It’s nice when you can enjoy what you do.”
