Jared and Kelly Strehl, along with business partners Robert and Jennifer Wright, assumed ownership of Y-Not Pizza and Wings on Oct. 6, 2021. The group of motivated owners is in the midst of a rebranding phase, introducing new menu items and a lunch buffet.
Jared Strehl said he and his family were vacationing at the lake when he received a call from the Wrights expressing interest in purchasing the restaurant. Owning a restaurant was entirely outside of his wheelhouse, but after some discussion and consideration, he thought, “why not?” – pun intended.
“We didn’t desire to get into the restaurant business, but this seemed like a great opportunity,” Strehl said. “We came home from vacation, called the owners, and checked the place out that evening.”
Four days later, they owned the place. The previous owners stayed on board for a month to ensure a smooth transition. Since taking over, they’ve expanded the menu to feature a wide array of pizzas, wings, appetizers, sandwiches, calzones, desserts, and pizza burgers.
“One of the coolest things we have done is to bring back the 30-inch pizza, which not many people have,” he said. “We also added jalapeno poppers and buffalo shrimp to our appetizers and two variations of pizza burgers.”
The restaurant also expanded its hours, and is now open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Strehl said that adding a lunch buffet has played a pivotal role in allowing them to stay open for lunch, citing increased food costs and labor shortages as an initial roadblock.
“Finding the right help to allow us to stay open during lunch has been tough,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy, but we’re slowly doing and adding things to take this place to the next level.”
Y-Not offers dine-in and carry-out options and in-house and DoorDash delivery options. They are located at 2710 KY 144 in the old Dianne’s Bakery location.
Strehl said the community has been consistent with their support, and the owners are constantly searching for opportunities to give back.
“We have quite a few loyal customers, and we really appreciate them,” he said. “We’re very involved with local athletics. We’ve hosted parties for local middle and high school basketball teams and participated in an advertising drive with Kentucky Wesleyan College, where we fed their staff at every home game.”
The establishment also supports Wendell Foster and other nonprofits in the community. Strehl is hopeful that warmer weather, decreased pandemic concerns, and the addition of the buffet and menu evolution will increase business in the coming weeks.
To order online or for more information about Y-Not, visit their website here.
