/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38850344/Lynns_Paradise_Cafe_front.0.jpg)
"Lynn is moving on from Paradise and on to her next crazy adventure. She's scouring the universe for the perfect next owner of Lynn's who will not only carry on its legacy but also make it more awesomer!" reads a March 15 post on Lynn's Paradise Cafe's "Official" Facebook page. A more recent post claims the restaurant some describe as a "Cracker Barrel for Louisville hipsters" might reopen its doors with new owners. Lynn Winter still insists on the condition any buyers "must agree to carry on the restaurant's quirky tradition," and at the moment no sale is pending. The continuing saga of Lynn's closing and possible rebirth began in January, and Eater was there from the beginning.
January 3: "Yesterday I was terminated from Lynn's Paradise Cafe for not being able to bring in $100 cash for my shift" Leila DiFazio wrote on WLKY News Louisville's Facebook page.
January 4: Eater reports DiFazio's note, which darkly hints she has "some information on other wrong-doings of theirs, and would be happy to answer any questions or refer you to those who have more input to make this a HUGE eye-opener for the city of Louisville." Lynn Winter contacts Eater, saying "This kind of protest against us ironically hurts every single person at Lynn's. They can make soundbytes that I can't defend. Customers don't come in, and I'll have to cut back. Not only does it hurt me, it hurts the 85 people who work for me."
January 11: Lynn's Paradise Cafe closes. Winters releases a statement, saying "It's been a great run and we've had a ton of fun. The time has come to move on to new creative ventures."
January 14: Patty Schnatter, spokesperson for Lynn's Paradise Café, says there are "four reasons" for Lynn's closing, the only specificity being the $100 cash requirement was not one of them.
January 25: "I love and miss Lynn's as if it was my child, but for many reasons that are very complex and don't fit a sound bite, it abruptly ended," Winter says in a statement. Claiming that "from the bottom of my heart I worked every day to create a fair, fun and sustainable work environment," Winters goes on to say that at "some future time when I am emotionally able to explain the abrupt closing I will if I am able."
March 14: Rumors of Lynn's Paradise Café reopening begin to circulate.
March 15: Winter denies the restaurant will reopen, issuing a statement that reads in part: "Lynn is moving on from Paradise and on to her next crazy adventure. She's scouring the universe for the perfect next owner of Lynn's who will not only carry on its legacy but also make it more awesomer!"
September 18: Winters tells WHAS-11 she closed the restaurant "because she was battling shingles, which she is still suffering from." She also tells WDRB she may work with the hoped-for new owners in some fashion, "and hopefully that fashion will be to get really wild."
October 2: Eater reports broker Ken Kapp of the Allston Group, says one of the criteria for a new owner would be "a discussion of the concept, a discussion of Lynn's role going forward with it, and what the buyer may want to do with the restaurant."
December 11: Lynn Winter tells the Courier-Journal she is talking to four potential buyers, who "will be buying the Paradise Cafe 'brand' and must agree to carry on the restaurant's quirky tradition," adding "the formula has been successful."
December 27: Winter tells Business First as well that "she is in talks with four potential buyers, but she "can't legally talk about them." She adds "It really is a matter of I want it to be the right mix of people ... Lynn's has its own unique flavor."
· All Eater Lynn's Paradise Café Coverage [~ELOU~]