FLAVOR OF THE BARRENS: Jerry’s Restaurant remembered

By JENNIFER MOONSONG
Glasgow News 1

When you ask locals about dining in Glasgow and Barren County in yesteryears, you will hear the names of many restaurants mentioned. Amongst them will be the Dairy O, the Newberry’s lunch counter, Pizza Villa, the original A&W Root Beer Stand. One favorite stop for generations was Jerry’s Restaurant.

In the 1960s Jerry’s was the place to be.
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Jerry’s Restaurant sat at the corner of Happy Valley Road and L. Rogers Wells Boulevard. A Glasgow Daily Times article from 1963 announced the arrival of the restaurant and its owners, Wayne and Pat Gaunce, and their 3-year-old son, Patrick, and newborn baby brother, Kevin.

“Dad (Wayne) started in the grocery store business in Carlisle, Kentucky. He had a grocery store with a partner, and he had an opportunity to take a Kroger’s, but he used to go shoot pool in Lexington, and there was a Jerry’s Restaurant. He liked it, the food and the atmosphere,” said Patrick Gaunce.

The master recipe book is one of the keepsakes cherished by the Gaunce family.

Wayne met someone who offered a franchise in Glasgow, and the rest is history.

Jerry’s Restaurant opened in November of ’63. It was an immediate success. The memorable J Boy, the strawberry pies and the all day breakfast menu were customer favorites. Large, colorful menus with photos of American classics enticed customers and offered something Glasgow had never had.

“At the time there was only the Uptowner, the Dairy Q, and little later the A&W Root Beer Stand ,” Gaunce said.

Beyond the flavors and foods, it was the atmosphere that made Jerry’s the spot to be. The unique thing about Jerry’s was that it was a sit-down restaurant, but you could also eat curbside thanks to carhops.

“From 1963, for about a decade, it was the hangout, and if you ask people about their memories it is probably the curb they remember. People circled the curb,” Gaunce said.

A vintage advertisement for Jerry’s.
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At the age of 12, Patrick bussed tables, and often before school he’d help make onion rings or the signature strawberry pies. Surprisingly, the Gaunce children didn’t eat a lot of Jerry’s food.

“What I remember is, it was busy. The same people came to eat at breakfast six or seven days a week. People from Sorensen’s walked over. Daddy had a lot of talented, loyal people with him. Daddy was loyal to his employees. Daddy did a lot of giving food to the bands, the ball teams. He did a lot for the community things even way back then,” Gaunce said.

“They had a birthday club and when it was their birthday they got a free sandwich, ice cream and toy. That was a big deal,” Gaunce said.

One of the most memorable nights at Jerry’s was a night Glasgow made history.

“A night that will always be remembered was when the Glasgow boys won the high school state tournament in Louisville in ’68. They were dancing on the tables,” Gaunce said.

The local coaches and team members frequented Jerry’s Restaurant.
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In its heyday, Jerry’s was so popular Gaunce had to add an additional dining room with 50 more seats. Wayne sold the business in 1974, but opened Jerry’s in Cave city, a Long John Silvers in Cave City in 1971, and in Glasgow in 1975. When Patrick grew up he went into the restaurant business too, following in his Dad’s footsteps.

“When he and I got into the business together, we built a Rally’s in Bowling Green with a double drive-thru, and then we opened a Papa Johns,” Gaunce said. They eventually opened Papa Johns in 13 states, but never forgot the humble beginnings of Jerry’s Restaurant.

“Jerry’s was the start and I think for my Dad, it’s where his heart always was,” Patrick said.

Jerry’s closed after approximately 20 years in Glasgow.

Many will remember the horses that flanked the walls.
Jennifer Moonsong