Ludlow and Park Hills firefighters were on the scene of a fire late Sunday night at 1975 — a popular Ludlow sports-themed restaurant on Elm Street.
As of now, the extent of the damage is unknown, the owners announced in a Facebook post.
“We are unsure of the extent of the damage at this time and will keep you all updated as we go along,” read the post. “We will be closed until further notice.”
While on the scene, fire crews spotted a fire inside the restaurant behind the front counter, according to a WCPO report. Officials told the outlet that the fire was contained to that area, but the building did suffer smoke damage.
Founded back in February, 1975 is a tribute to Ludlow’s past. Entrepreneur Matt Brock and restauranter Austin Bauer, both Ludlow natives, co-founded the restaurant as a way, they said, to give back to their community.
For Brock, the loss of the business is a blow to the community. As the holidays approach, his employees are at the top of his mind.
“It’s just more about the community for me and our employees,” Brock told LINK nky. “You know, obviously they get taken care of. It’s the holidays and a lot of our employees work here to pay their bills.”
In his opinion, the biggest obstacle facing 1975 is clearing up the smoke damage.
“The fire stuff can be fixed pretty quickly because it was contained to one are but the smoke is all over,” he said.
Despite the setback, Brock is hopeful the restaurant will be back up and running by the beginning of the year.
The namesake pays homage to the 1975 Ludlow Panthers football team that won the Class A Kentucky state championship; one of two team athletic titles in the school’s history.
Brock’s phone has been buzzing throughout the day from members of the Ludlow community offering words of support and encouragement.
“Each time I sat down today, there was people there waiting for me just to tell me that they had my back and they would be there for us,” Brock said.
1975 primarily serves burgers, shakes, and fries in addition to their marquee menu items like the Big Burr burger and Ham Deluxe sandwich.
Completed in 1955, the building that housed 1975 was previously home to several restaurants fondly remembered by Brock and other Ludlow natives. Buck’s BBQ was the prior tenant until it closed in the summer of 2021 due to flood damage.
The building was originally constructed by brothers Burr and Jim Reeves as a home for their Dairy Cheer ice cream parlor which was eventually renamed to Reeves Drive-In. Other restaurants that operated out of the location over the years included Deelites Dairy Bar and Subway.
