Lynagh’s Irish Pub has a new owner who has designs on restoring the storied restaurant and bar -- long a campus and city favorite – to its former glory.
“lt’s been really crazy, but I’m starting to figure it all out,” said Amy Messer, who took over officially June 9.
Messer, 39, was a Lynaugh’s regular in the late 1990s, when she was an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky.
“I spent more nights here than I should have,” Messer said. “I’d come here. All my friends would come here. We liked to come in earlier for the food and stay later for the music.
After leaving to pursue graduate studies, Messer returned and until about a year ago was a part-time professor in the UK’s sociology department. Lynagh’s is her first foray into running a restaurant and bar.
“I come from a family of successful small-business owners so it seemed like a natural progression to me,” she said.
Messer said she is talking with customers and even some former employees about what changes she might make.
“I want to keep the culture of Lynagh’s intact, just a few tweaks here and there,” Messer said.
She highlighted plans for music and food. Messer said she is considering placing a small stage at the front (the former Cosmic Charlie’s stage, once part of a larger Lynaugh’s, remains separate). Messer also said she has been talking with former kitchen workers about bringing back the O’Round burger and the TnA (turkey and avacado) sandwich.
Messer, a soccer fan, also plans to make Lynagh’s more friendly for fans of European-style football, with more game coverage and other special events planned.
“Lexington has a large community of people who play soccer and a large community that want to watch it,” said Messer, who counts herself a Tottenham backer. “Right now they’re watching at home or watching online. So I’m looking to expand our offerings.”