A new family-owned restaurant had a soft opening Wednesday at the Campbell Club to generate some sort of income amid the coronavirus crisis.
The building had been empty for months until Shannon De Lozier, owner and chef of Southern Comforts, signed a lease with plans to open the restaurant in March.
“We ironed out a deal and then the world went to hell and had a pandemic,” De Lozier said. “It’s hard. This is a terrible time and hopefully, it will end soon.”
With expenses mounting and with rent due soon, De Lozier decided to open the restaurant to at least offer takeout. There were six customers on opening day Wednesday.
De Lozier, a single mother of two who moved to Owensboro several years ago, said she fell in love with the Campbell Club when she first laid eyes on it.
“I’ve been watching it for about a year,” she said. “I just kept going back to this thinking I have to have it. I have no idea (why). I don’t know… I love this place. It feels like home.”
De Lozier was eventually able to acquire the Campbell Club through savings and money from a recent settlement. De Lozier, her two sons and a friend are running the restaurant, which is open only for lunch until business picks up. It also doesn’t have a menu.
“I’m winging it,” De Lozier said. “Every day is going to be different.”
Thursday’s options are homemade fried chicken, cheeseburger sliders and chicken tenders.
“I’m not classically trained,” she said. “I’m old-school trained from a southern grandma. Everything is from scratch, done right.”
De Lozier has big dreams for her new space.
“Eventually, I want to be able to have a whole bunch of people in here,” De Lozier said. “I have so many ideas that I have for the club. I just have to make it happen.”
Visit Southern Comforts in Owensboro on Facebook or call 270-240-1715 to place orders.
