We lead this week's Access Louisville podcast with a conversation about West Coast hamburger chain Jack in the Box and its journey from San Diego to the Midwest.

Louisville Business First Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to talk about where the chain is heading next. He recently spoke to Franchisee Shane Paul about the company's plans to open in Westport Plaza in real estate that was formerly home to Chase Bank.

In total, Paul said he is planning to open six new Jack in the Boxes in the Louisville area over the next three years. We have full details on the expansion plans here. We also talk about the cost of opening a Jack in the Box, usually around $2 million and that's not including the franchise fees.

After that, we chat about things we noticed this year at the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. The whole Access Louisville/LBF crew was at the Derby, as usual, and you can find our coverage of the event here.

And finally, we wrap up the show with talk about the latest hospital safety ratings from Leapfrog Group. There was a surprising trend this year in which all Norton Healthcare Inc.'s hospitals saw a slip in their grades and only one area hospital got an 'A' grade for safety.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

Kentucky Kingdom's Sarah Worrell joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about what's next for the park.
The biggest change is several months out, but exciting nonetheless: 'Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom.’
The idea, she explains is a family-friendly wonderland that will even include a snowmaker and snow-tubing. It's part of an $8 million investment and comes a few years after the park was acquired by Herschend Family Entertainment in 2021. Worrell, who came on board just after that deal, said the company is looking to create four seasons of fun.
After the interview we talk about a few recent news stories, including Kentucky's first Montessori school hitting the market for $2.5 million. We also chat about Gustavo's opening at a new location and Tumbleweed closing one location.
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast for Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services.

Will the world ever embrace Kentucky bourbon the way it embraces Scotch whiskey? We chat about that a bit on this week's Access Louisville podcast.

Bourbon Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the show with news that Buffalo Trace is opening an attraction in London, England. Buffalo Trace Distillery London, a 2,000-square foot facility will be located at 32-33 Long Acre in Covent Garden in the city’s West End.

Plenty of Kentucky bourbon brands are trying to grow their international markets. And this will mark the first time that such a venue will be open for one of Sazarac’s flagship brands outside of its original production campus in Frankfort, Kentucky. So we chat about which international cities might be a good fit for bourbon attractions.

Tokyo comes up in that discussion considering that some big Kentucky brands have ties to Japan.

After the bourbon talk, we go over a few other recent news items.

Reporter Piper Hansen tells us about a recent law that will allow the city to perform random inspections on rental properties. Don't worry, this doesn't mean that inspectors are going to be randomly showing up at renters' doors. That just means the properties are randomly selected by the city for inspections and scheduled. Previously, inspections were carried out in the case of complaints.

After that we talk about an interview that Reporter Michael L. Jones recently finished with Chef Bryan Emperor, who will lead the soon-to-be-open NuLu sushi restaurant Sake A Go Go.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast and can be found on services such as Apple Podcast, Spotify and others. You can also listen in the player above.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.

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We've got a three-course meal on this week's edition of the Access Louisville podcast.

First off, we talk with Special Sections and Research Editor Allison Stines about what stood out to her the most about our most recent Business Women First luncheon in Downtown Louisville — including the best piece of advice she heard out of all of our honorees. We will also talk with Reporter Piper Hansen about the event's guest speaker, Kristel Bauer.

After that, we continue our chat with Piper about a new apartment complex, The Bend, a $50 million project in Clarksville, Indiana, that recently celebrated its ribbon cutting. Hansen will also provide an update on the zoning issues that are affecting readers in Kentucky — and some insight into the ongoing political back-and-forth between Gov. Andy Beshear and the General Assembly in Frankfort.

We close out the segment with the latest on the restaurant beat with Reporter Michael L. Jones about the story behind the Black Rabbit, a poplar bar and eatery in St. Matthews. Michael will provide the backstory on how the former owner Jared Fox Matthews has decided to sell the business to a group that includes his longtime general manager, Sherman Lewis.

Michael will also talk about two establishments located in the same area of the Highlands: Dad’s Coffee, which is closing its doors after only being open for two years, and the Dundee Tavern, a place known for its “Dundee Dip” that is in the process of being converted into a Derby City Pizza.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, both of which are linked above. You can also listen to the show in the player above.

Doug Owen, senior vice president, principal broker Kentucky, for JLL joins the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about the state of Downtown.
It's a mix of both good news and bad news Owen says.
There have been some wins for Downtown Louisville including a move by accounting firm Forvis into the top floor of the PNC tower earlier this year. And news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking a lot of space in Downtown Louisville was also a positive.
But there are challenges as well — with many people citing safety as an issue considering homeless and panhandling at many intersections.
"It's not the image you want to portray, in terms of coming into downtown — having somebody greeted by a panhandler. And then we have some mentally ill people walking the street. And so that's where the city needs to focus."
Owen said he realizes it's not a popular opinion but it is having an impact on tenants leasing downtown because they hear about safety concerns from their employees.
After the interview with Owen, we talk about the one-year anniversary of the April 10 mass shooting at Old National Bank. Reporter Stephen Schmidt recently penned a story about how the leadership team there is moving forward.
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

We've got a roundup of recent restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast.

First off, we talk to Reporter Michael L. Jones about how he got the story of Anoosh Bistro in East Louisville selling to a new owner. Jones said it started with him seeing a photo online of Anoosh Shariat and Chef David Danielson posing together. Turns out that Anoosh had sold the restaurant to Danielson, who had always dreamed of having a place like it. Details on the Anoosh Bistro sale can be found here.

After that we talk about a few more restaurant items, including a new location for Popeyes Chicken in West Louisville and a new location of Chik-fil-A in St. Matthews. We also talk about some expansion plans from Louisville-based breakfast and brunch chain Wild Eggs, which is eyeing the Lexington market. This leads to a discussion of our favorite local breakfast dishes.

Finally, we wrap up the show with some 2024 solar eclipse talk. Reporter Piper Hansen posted a story on how the celestial event is expected to bring crowds and tourism to Southern Indiana.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

We've got a special Access Louisville Podcast this week — and it's special for a couple of reasons.
First, two guests join us: Jerry Abramson, former mayor of Louisville and executive-in-residence at Spalding University; and Christina Lee Brown, philanthropist and namesake of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.
Secondly, this week's show is special because it was recorded in front of a live audience at our offices in Downtown Louisville for the first time.
The theme of the show was to look back at Louisville's milestones over the past 40 years. What did we get right? What surprised us? And what's on our wishlist for the future?
The expansion of what is today known as Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport was one example that Abramson highlighted. But we also talked about more recent developments, such as the building of the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville.
As far as looking ahead at what the city needs in the future, Brown said the top thing on her wishlist is that everyone see the real value of health for our community. The idea of creating jobs is solid, she said, but we need to ask ourselves about employees health too.
"How can we care for those employees psychological health in new kinds of ways? How can we take care of their air, water and soil in new kinds of ways," she asked.
Abramson noted the importance of education and civic engagement.
"This whole citizenship thing has sort of evaporated," Abramson said. "You need to engage — there's a responsibility. For democracy to work, you have to have an educated electorate."
Those were just a few of our favorite takeaways. You can listen to the entire show in the player above and on popular podcast services, such as Apple Podcast, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

Garth Williams, general manager of Derby City Gaming Downtown, joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week. Williams tells us about getting the venue open last December, what he looks for in the hospitality industry and preparing for Louisville's busier seasons in tourism.
After that we chat with Reporter Joel Stinnett about the prospect for converting former office buildings into residential spaces in Downtown Louisville. Such projects have found traction in nearby peer cities such as Cincinnati and Cleveland.
And we talk about the surprising departure of Rob Lynch from Papa John's International Inc.
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcast.