Stooges Bar and Grill sits in the section that has now reopened, but the restaurant remains closed. The owner says restoration work will begin next week.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — People and businesses now have greater access to areas along Grade Lane that were directly impacted when UPS Flight 2676 crashed.
Louisville Metro officials announced Thursday that the checkpoint has been rolled back. While the stretch between Crittenden Drive and Knopp Avenue remains closed, customers and businesses can now reach the reopened section from Outer Loop.
Even so, the closure continues to affect traffic in the area, especially for those traveling from the airport.
Stooges Bar and Grill is located in the portion that recently reopened to the public. The restaurant was packed with customers when the plane crashed on November 4.
More than four months later, the once-popular gathering place for UPS workers—previously open 22 hours a day—remains closed.
“I don’t even like coming here anymore,” said owner Debbie Self.
Self and her husband built the restaurant from the ground up more than 40 years ago. After her husband died in 2017, Self, now 76, had begun thinking about the future of the business.
“I worked 43 years for that, and sometimes I was working six days a week,” said Self. “To see it go like this, it’s just not good.”
Since the crash, the restaurant has had no customers and no income. Inside, the specials from Tuesday night are still written on the board. Posters advertising a fight scheduled for November 14 hang on the walls alongside UofL Basketball posters. The men’s game on November 3 was the last one shown on the restaurant’s many televisions.
Self is part of a class-action lawsuit filed against UPS, GE, and Boeing. While attorneys handle the case, she has started moving forward with the restoration process.
A contractor is expected to begin work next week, and Self estimates the restoration will take at least two months.
“It’s not going to be an overnight sensation. You know, there is so much that has to be done in the building,” said Self.
She says rebuilding the staff will also take time. Before the crash, the restaurant employed 44 workers, allowing it to operate daily from 6 a.m. until 4 a.m. Right now, Self is the only employee.
She also worries about whether customers will return, particularly if access to the bar from Crittenden Drive stays closed while city crews continue construction and cleanup efforts.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I guess we’ll just take it one day at a time,” said Self.
We reached out to UPS for a response regarding the litigation. A communications staff member provided the following statement:
“We remain deeply saddened for those affected by Flight 2976. We are unable to comment on pending litigation. UPS remains fully supportive of the NTSB’s investigation into the accident.”
We also contacted Louisville Metro Government. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said, “The city remains committed to working closely with businesses and the rest of the community as we continue to navigate this tragedy and massive remediation and recovery effort together.”
This article has been carefully fact-checked by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and eliminate any misleading information. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in our content.
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