Classic Downtown Louisville restaurant closes – Boulder Daily Camera

Old Town Louisville’s skyline will change as the sign for The Empire Lounge and Restaurant comes down after nearly 15 years in business.

The Empire announced on social media that the restaurant will close and its last day would be Saturday.

Jim Cohen and his daughter, Lexi Scott, opened The Empire in 2008, and Jeff Osaka became a partial owner in 2019 with Ken Wolf. Osaka stepped away from the business partnership in late 2022, and a local chef was going to partner with Wolf. However, Osaka said that “the cards were already dealt against them” as keeping the restaurant running was tough.

“I was only in charge for a few years, but The Empire has a soft spot in my heart. You know, I love Louisville,” Osaka said.

The Empire served “elevated American classics,” according to front of house manager Emma Hempen, who has been working at the restaurant for more than a year. Hempen said that The Empire is like eating at a nice American diner in New York during the 1980s. The restaurant had American classics, from a steak and frites meal to a traditional Coloradan Coors Light beer.

Osaka described the restaurant as “Americana” and the go-to place for many Louisville residents. Osaka said that he has been receiving many messages from Louisville residents saying that they will miss The Empire. He said that The Empire hosted many graduation parties, bridal showers and other celebrations and the restaurant will live on in those happy memories. He added that he has even received messages from people who no longer live in the area, thanking the restaurant for their happy moments and saying goodbye.

Hempen said that since the closure announcement, many residents have been coming in to get their last moment in the restaurant. She also said that the approximately 25 staff members are keeping their heads up despite the closure.

“We’re in a place where we are sad, but really proud of the work that we did,” Hempen said.

Hempen said that she watched the restaurant go “from a very dark place to a brighter place,” through surviving pandemic lockdowns and a temporary closure due to the Marshall Fire.

Osaka said that maintaining the restaurant became difficult after the two events.

Hempen said that despite the restaurants best efforts, business became unpredictable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Osaka said that the restaurant had to close for a few months because of the pandemic but slowly reopened following city-mandated, social-distancing restrictions. He said that business was good once restrictions were being lifted slowly and 2021 was a good year.

However, The Empire had to close for almost two weeks due to the Marshall Fire. Osaka said that any business that had to use water had to close as the city had to make sure the water was not contaminated after the fire.

Osaka said that the restaurant still had a lot of food in the restaurant during that closure and did not want it to go to waste, so the restaurant had a soup kitchen. The Empire gave out soups, stews and bread for fire survivors and the community. He said that while the closure hurt the restaurant, The Empire staff were happy to help the community.

Osaka said that the restaurant being dealt those blows took its toll. He also said that The Empire is one of the largest restaurant’s in Louisville at 5,000 square feet with a huge basement as well. He said that the big space meant a lot of moving parts.

Hempen said that recently there was a silent disco dance party at The Empire that she really enjoyed. She said that the party gave staff headphones to join in on the silent disco. She said that the staff was able to get together and dance their hearts out one last time.

“Anytime, that we as the staff, were able to spend time with each other was super, super special,” Hempen said.

Osaka said that Saturday evening, he will thank all the staff for their hard work and turn off the lights one last time at The Empire Lounge and Restaurant.