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SPOTLIGHT
W Y N D A L L’ S W O N D E R W H I P
Owensboro’s Old Friend Written by J O S H K E L LY
K
eep everything the same. That was the thought going through Seth Woodward’s head as he reopened
Wyndall’s Wonder Whip on February 1, 2016, as the new owner. Woodward said he’s always had a fascination with vintage and older things, and would acquire things that had a bit of age to them, like his first car: a 1972 Chevy pickup truck. He drove his pickup truck past Wonder Whip so much that it would blend into the scenery of the east part of the county. But one day he drove by and realized the uniqueness of the establishment. “That place looks kind of neat, I don’t see many buildings like that every day,” he said on a casual drive by. After driving by it for years on end, the news came that the restaurant was closing, and he was surprised the Owensboro landmark would be shutting its doors. Shortly after, talks about reopening under his ownership began. When Wonder Whip reopened, he said there was no intention to change anything, and he still doesn’t plan to change the nearly-70-year-old establishment. There were challenges that came with opening, Woodward said, but the goal of preserving the restaurant’s legacy kept the team pushing through. And Woodward felt that familiarity would continue to push the business into its first week under the new owner. “The response when it closed was so large. Everybody was so disappointed when it closed. I was hoping that a lot of that energy would be channeled into some support when we reopened,” he said. Luckily, in 2016 people liked burgers and milkshakes just as much as they did in 1955, because the community turned out — so much so they were setting new sales records by the end of the first week. A couple things have been added to the
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Owensboro Living J U LY / / A U G U S T 2 0 2 2
