Eric Ashworth took the reigns of O’Bryan’s Bar & Grill last week and said he has big plans for the establishment. He called his newfound ownership a lifelong dream come true.
O’Bryan’s, located at 7006 KY 815, was owned by Becky Whittaker for years before Ashworth stepped in to manage the restaurant and bar after Whittaker decided to sell it last March. With it being Ashworth’s first experience in the restaurant and bar industry, he wasn’t sure what to expect but said it didn’t take long to realize he loved the atmosphere at O’Bryan’s, and the job itself.
“I’d worked for Becky on and off since I was 15, and all through college,” he said. “The previous manager started looking for another job because they were selling. I went to O’Bryan’s in March and fell in love with it. I went to her as said, ‘I’d really like to purchase it from you.’”
And so, a few months later, the two worked out an agreement and the keys were handed over to Ashworth. According to him, the transition has been easier on everyone because of Ashworth’s history of working at both O’Bryan’s and the business next door to it.
“I’m very familiar with the current employees and customers,” he said. “As a kid, I always told my mom I wanted to own my own business, and that I’d always wanted to own a bar.”
Ashworth calls O’Bryan’s a restaurant by day and a bar by night. Historically — 25 to 30 years ago — the establishment was just a bar, but has operated as a daytime restaurant for years now. Ashworth wants to make sure more people are aware of O’Bryan’s restaurant hours and high-quality food served.
“It’s evolved from being just a bar,” he said. “It’s very family-friendly. We have kids here all during the day. The campers from Diamond Lake come here to eat all the time — we call it “The Lake Effect.”
While every business has its challenges, Ashworth wants to push the restaurant and bar to its fullest potential. Not by changing the integrity of what makes O’Bryan’s the unique place it is, but in increasing advertising that highlights all its features.
“I want to keep the atmosphere it has because there’s a strong clientele base that’s been there for years and years, but there’s room for growth,” Ashworth said. “Our food is surprisingly good, but there’s never been a whole lot of advertising for it. Locals know about it, but if more people knew about the food we serve, they’d make that 10-minute drive to come out here.”
Ashworth graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in business administration. To own his own restaurant and bar at 31 years-old is not only an unexpected surprise but something he’s not taking for granted.
“This is something I never thought I’d be able to accomplish, especially at my age,” he said.
