You Can Still Eat at Morrison’s Cafeteria in KY, But You’ll First Have to Go to the Hospital

If you were an Owensboro kid in 1978 when Towne Square Mall opened, your world changed. We had finally gotten one of THOSE malls that I had thought only big cities could have.

Morrison's Cafeteria -- a Towne Square Mall Legend

Naturally, we visited every chance we got and spent hours and hours looking around, even at stores where we didn't expect to find anything we needed. But it wasn't just the shopping that was attractive. Even though the now-defunct mall never had a food court, it did manage to house wildly popular restaurants for years and years, including the first one--Morrison's Cafeteria.

Before this dining experience, I had only ever gone through a cafeteria line at school or at the hospital where my mom worked. Morrison's was always packed and always seemed to vary its menu. I remember noticing the variety from visit to visit. My whole family loved it. We'd begin our night there and then shop 'til we dropped at closing time.

Where to Find Morrison's in Kentucky in 2024

Today? Well, Morrison's Cafeteria in its traditional form is a thing of the past, but the Morrison's brand still exists and, yes, is still all about food service, but you won't find one in any Kentucky mall.

If you want to experience Morrison's these days, you'll need to visit a hospital. Owensboro Health Regional Hospital IS such a hospital. You see, Morrison's is now known as Morrison Healthcare Food Services and is, in fact, "the nation’s only food service company exclusively dedicated to providing food, nutrition and dining services to hospitals and health systems."

Where to Find a Traditional Morrison's

But hold the phone. That's Kentucky. If you want to experience Morrison's in the traditional way you'll have to head to the Deep South.

And you'll have to understand that many of them are now named for the restaurant's parent company, Picadilly. But the one in Mobile has held on to the Morrison's name. If you take a look at the menu--don't worry; cafeteria-style self-service is still its stock in trade--you'll notice items that look exactly like the type of food we got back in the day.

Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.