Update: One of Lexington’s oldest restaurants reopens after health department closure

One of Lexington’s oldest restaurants, long known for its old-fashioned meat and vegetable offerings, reopened Friday after being shut down for two days be health department.

Thoroughbred Restaurant at 1483 Leestown Rd. was closed on Oct. 9, according to a red sign saying “This Establishment is Closed” on the front door of the business.

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The health department on Friday released records to the Herald-Leader showing that Thoroughbred Restaurant was ordered to cease food service for “a failing score of 83 with four priority violations in the areas of cold-holding temperatures, hot-holding temperatures, using time as a public health control, and pest control.”

This was the second failed follow-up inspection in a row, according to the notice of enforcement. The restaurant had scored 84 in a Sept. 18 inspection that required follow-up; then scored 80 on a follow-up on Oct. 2 and 83 on a follow-up on Oct. 9.

The health department then ordered the closure.

But on Friday the restaurant scored 95 on a follow-up inspection on Oct. 10 and was allowed to re-open.

Thoroughbred owner Mark Smith could not be reached for comment.

Historic Lexington restaurant

Thoroughbred Restaurant is Lexington’s second-oldest still existing restaurant , beaten only by the original Columbia Steakhouse on North Limestone.

Thoroughbred has been in the same shopping center since 1954, when the building was new, serving a variety of daily menu specials from meatloaf and baked chicken to ribs and burgers. And the desserts are made fresh in-house daily.

What does health department closure mean?

When the health department closes a restaurant, a red sign is placed on the door to notify potential customers that food service has been halted. But the health department does not publicize that restaurants have been closed and does not post on its website why a business was shut down.

Restaurants are closed when the health department finds an imminent risk to public health such as insect or rodent infestation, lack of running water or sewage contamination.

Establishments that score below 60 on an inspection also are immediately closed.

Inspection history

In 2022, Thoroughbred Restaurant was placed on the health department’s Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement list. The restaurant scored 76 on an August inspection; any food service provider that scored below 80 is placed on the list, which means it will be inspected three times a year instead of two.

In September 2023, Thoroughbred Restaurant scored 94 on an inspection, according to data from the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Inspection scores are available online at the Lexington health department’s web site . But it does not show all inspection scores and is sometimes out of date.

In June, the Herald-Leader published an updated list of the 166 restaurants and food service providers that are under enhanced regulatory enforcement , formerly called probation, by the health department.