bypass

By Christopher Miller, cmiller@bgdailynews.com — 270-783-3246

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

After the recent closure of Murrays Restaurant at 1313 U.S. 31-W By-Pass, an existing business is about to breathe new life into the historic location.

Kristie Hudson, owner of Kristies Kitchen at 1823 Morgantown Road, will move her restaurant into the Murrays building within the next 30 days. She signed a lease on the building Tuesday night and plans to keep the name Murrays, she said.

She hopes that past Murrays clientele will keep coming to the restaurant, and she anticipates bringing her current customers from the Morgantown Road location, she said.

William Shafer of Bowling Green, who eats at Kristies several times a week, said he wished Kristies would stay at its current location because its close to where he lives. But at the same time, he knows Hudson and many regulars and plans to follow them to Murrays.

Its as much socializing as it is coming in for breakfast, Shafer said. Theyre all good folks.

Shafers wife usually comes with him for the breakfast special, which includes eggs, bacon, toast and biscuits.

Weve been coming just about ever since (Hudsons) been here, he said.

For Hudson, moving her restaurant to the bypass will bring a better location and hopefully more business.

This has always been a bad location, Hudson said. To me, Murrays has always been the place.

Kristies has been in its current location for 31/2 years, Hudson said. She describes the food as home cooking, which includes breakfast specials and lunch specials like meatloaf on Wednesdays and catfish on Fridays, as well as home-cooked vegetables.

In the next month, she and her employees will clean Murrays, repaint it and then move in.

Today, Hudson plans to inform Kristies regular customers of the pending move.

In a health inspection, performed April 29, Murrays scored 62 percent and 95 percent on the follow-up inspection performed April 30.

Former Bowling Green Mayor Charlie Hardcastle estimates Murrays was built in the 1950s, just after the bypass was constructed in the 1940s.

The mans name was Mr. Murray, Hardcastle said. He said Murray had another restaurant just down the road Hunts One Stop, a location that was open late at night. Murrays, on the other hand, wasnt open late at the time.

Its been continuously open since then, he said, though the restaurant has changed hands a few times.

As part of a group that frequently ate Saturday morning breakfast at Murrays, Hardcastle thinks theyll go back.

Its close and convenient, he said.

Murrays will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday though Wednesday. It will open Thursday morning at 6 a.m. and remain open 24 hours a day until 8 p.m. Saturday.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700