Aug 20, 2021

Wild Eggs to Open Sixth Louisville-Area Location

Wild Eggs is adding another location in Louisville. The breakfast and brunch restaurant is taking space in the Stony Brook Shopping Center that was previously held by Old Chicago.

Old Chicago closed this location in early 2020, just before the pandemic really took hold.

Old Chicago used about 7,200 square feet at the location, at 9010 Taylorsville Road in Jeffersontown. Wild Eggs will lease approximately 4,800 square feet from the landlord, Brixmor Property Group Inc., Bill Stenzhorn, president of Wild Eggs Operations LLC, said in an email. Wild Eggs was represented by Colin Underhill of Pluris Real Estate in this deal.

Stenzhorn said the company had been looking for a location in J-Town for the last couple of years and had seriously pursued several opportunities along Hurstbourne Parkway.

"When we began our work with this particular landlord, it was evident that both entities really wanted to do business, so we negotiated a mutually beneficial agreement and worked through the usual challenges of a traditional restaurant lease," he said.

Stenzhorn said he met with Jeffersontown leadership during the due diligence process and was pleased with their pro-business approach.

"They not only have the programs and infrastructure in place to grow their community, but they also have a real eagerness to support the business owners and to spend the taxpayers’ money like it is their own," he said. "I have opened dozens of restaurants across the nation, and believe me, this is not the typical reception that you frequently receive. I have been very impressed with their business acumen and general efficiency."

It's not clear how much Wild Eggs will spend on this new location, as Stenzhorn said those economics are still being reconciled.

There is a great deal of work to do on the location, he said.

"The Wild Eggs brand has a distinct look and feel. Although all our restaurants are unique, we must take the time and make the investment to create a restaurant that shows connectivity within the brand and offers those unique characteristics that define Wild Eggs," he said. "Building a restaurant from scratch is actually easier than taking an existing restaurant and transforming it into Wild Eggs; our vision for this property has everyone on my team tremendously excited. We hope that our vision of a special place to spend time with friends, family, and business associates will meet with the approval of our friends in J-Town."

The project has multiple local general contractors bidding on the construction project, Stenzhorn said. The company partners with Swope Design Group; and Dine Co. provides its equipment and kitchen design needs.

Other local vendors will support the operation once up and running. He anticipates that the restaurant will have a staff of 50 people once it opens, likely in the first half of 2022.

Wild Eggs started in Louisville in 2007, according to its website. In addition to having five locations in the Louisville area now (this new one being the sixth), it's also in the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Lexington, and Bowling Green markets.