‘Walking Dead’ Creator, a Kentucky Native, Opening Restaurant in Lexington with Series Star and Director

Like many of you may have, I've observed a relatively recent phenomenon with regard to celebrities and side hustles.

CELEBRITIES WHO OWN RESTAURANTS

It has been especially apparent in the country music industry. Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and Blake Shelton are among the many who have purchased restaurants or entire chains that are THRIVING. In fact, visiting just ONE of them is on my bucket list.

Of course, it doesn't stop with country stars. The Wahlberg family owns a chain of SENSATIONAL burger joints called Wahlburgers. And I speak from experience, thanks to the Mall of America in Minneapolis; I was there in 2019.

'WALKING DEAD' RESTAURANT

There are others, too, including Norman Reedus, Greg Nicotero, and Robert Kirkman. Unless you're a fan of a certain AMC horror drama that's meandered to the point that all of its ardent fans that I know (myself and my sister included) have severed ties with the once-riveting yet still-iconic series.

To catch you up, here's the roll call: Norman Reedus is a star; Greg Nicotero is a director and a visual effects artist; Robert Kirkman is the creator of...The Walking Dead. Of the three, Kirkman is a native Kentuckian (from Cynthiana), but they ALL are co-owners of Nic and Norman's, a chain of restaurants with two locations--one in Senoia, Georgia and the other in Chattanooga. And soon there will be a third location at 135 West Main Street in downtown Lexington.

NIC AND NORMAN'S

Soooo, what could be served at a restaurant owned by Walking Dead luminaries? Well, it's nothing the show's "walkers" would enjoy, I assure you. Because it's actual food and, for the most part, it sounds like good old southern cooking--but probably kicked up a notch or two. Entree selections like homestyle meatloaf and gourmet chicken pot pie share menu space with a Thanksgiving turkey burger and a fried chicken burger. That turkey burger, by the way, features mashed potatoes, chopped cranberries, chopped pecans, and cranberry aioli. Sounds amazing.

I enjoy Lexington as a road trip destination, and now I'll need to head back up to enjoy a taste of The Walking Dead.

Hmm...no that doesn't sound right to me, either.