Briarpatch Restaurant has been sold — just months before its 50th anniversary — and a familiar face will be taking over. While the current owners said it’s a bittersweet move, they expect the family-like atmosphere for both employees and customers will continue.
Mike Courtney, the owner of the local Ritzy’s, is purchasing Briarpatch along with investors Grady Harreld of Owensboro and Joel White of Lewisport.
Courtney began his work career at the Briarpatch — bussing tables, serving, and eventually working as a grill cook and manager. That tenure lasted 12 years, and the experience he acquired propelled him to open the Ritzy’s on Frederica Street in 1996.
“I’ve come full circle,” Courtney said. “I’m coming back to buy the place where it all started for me. After 12 years of working there, I knew I would own my own restaurant one day.”
He’s purchasing Briarpatch from Pat and Kathy Buntin, who obtained ownership in 1987. As a Bowling Green native, Pat began his tenure with the restaurant at the Bowling Green location before moving to Owensboro in 1974 to become an assistant manager.
Little did Buntin know, that move would introduce him to his future wife Kathy, who served as a hostess at the time. The two have since raised children who also worked at the restaurant, and the Buntins created a culture that allowed the establishment to withstand the test of time.
“We operate like a family,” he said. “We have several individuals that have worked with us for 20 and 30 years. We are the true definition of a small family business and I think Mike will be a great continuation.”
Buntin referred to the sale as bittersweet but said that he and Kathy had new aspirations. While ultimately a tough decision, his faith in Courtney made it easier.
“We had been discussing it for some time, then 2020 hit, and that was hard on everyone,” Buntin said. “Mike was a staff member at the restaurant for 12 years — he knows and appreciates the history but also has some ideas of his own, which is what a restaurant that is 50 years old needs.”
Courtney opened the second local Ritzy’s 10 years after the first, with the KY 54 location opening in 2006.
“I’ve always had a place in my heart for the Briarpatch. I’ve always thought it was unique, especially back in the ’80s before all of the development in Owensboro,” Courtney said. “For a while, it was just Briarpatch and Gabe’s for fine dining — I think the chains have dampened business some.”
Courtney has a few changes in mind but wants to make certain of a smooth transition for everyone involved.
“This is a successful business that has withstood the test of time,” he said. “It’s off the beaten path which has led some people to forget about it. It’s a unique place with great potential — there’s no other salad bar like it. I have some ideas for the next year that I hope will bring it to the limelight of Owensboro.”
At its peak, the Briarpatch Corporation was operating 10 stores across Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. The Greyhound Corporation purchased the restaurants in 1982 but decided to migrate away from operating free-standing locations.
After serving as an area manager, the Buntins jumped at the opportunity to purchase the Owensboro location, which is the only one still in operation.
The 50th anniversary will be on July 31. Both parties look for the sale to be complete by the end of the summer.
“I have a sincere interest in making sure that Mike, our employees, and the community succeed,” Buntin said. “People come in and share stories with me on a daily basis about how they’ve celebrated many occasions here over the years. Kathy and I have 47 years in it and owned it for 34. We survived many trials and tribulations over those years, including the pandemic, and we’re still together. It’s definitely bittersweet.”
