Gary Holland’s newest restaurant, Spear Ridge Cafe, will feature ‘home-cooking” scratch menu

By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter

Florence officially has another sit-down restaurant. Spear Ridge Cafe held a soft opening this week with a ribbon-cutting. The restaurant, which touts a scratch menu, will bring back home-cooked meals to compete with the vast fast food market.

“I felt like this was something that was missing,” said restaurant creator Gary Holland of One Holland. “We used to have places like this when I was growing up in Northern Kentucky, and they are pretty much gone now. I just thought I could do something special and bring that Kentucky diner back to Northern Kentucky.”

The new restaurant is about 3000 square feet. It’s design is a horse barn.

“I saw this barn in a horse farm in Augusta, Georgia, and I just thought, we have to have that here,” Holland said. “This will be one of two. We will also be building one in Independence at the Downs of Nicholson. This is an appetizer to what we are doing in the Downs of Nicholson. The restaurant First Watch will be open in November, and the rest of the development will be open in the summer of 2025.”

Holland said this is the area where he grew up, and he nostalgically reminisced about his upbringing.

“I worked in this industrial park, my dad worked 27 years in this industrial park, my mom worked 20 years in this park, my wife worked in this park and my father-in-law worked in this industrial park,” he stated. “So this is home for us.”

In addition to the opening of the cafe, Holland took this opportunity to present a check to Beechgrove Elementary PTA in the amount of $2024, because the year is 2024, and he added an amount to make the donation $2500.

“When we can we like to help them,” Holland said. “I went to school there. I grew up about a mile from here. We know that a lot of underprivileged kids go to that school, and the PTA is able to help when kids need something.”

Despite the fact that Holland has over 2000 businesses, when the time came to address the crowd and preview the ribbon cutting, he still was choked up when he tried to thank everyone for their contribution.

“This. . .is an exciting day,” he said when he could speak.

He asked the crowd if they agree that the building was a piece of art, with all the brass and the older-time charm, and he declared that it would be a landmark.

“Shortly after I bought my horse farm in 2006, I fell in love with all things horses, and barns, and I got inspired,” he remembered. “I thought we needed to have something like it up here.”

Holland said that this is something different, and people might have to wait a little longer for their food, but it will be worth it.

Florence Mayor Julie Aubuchon was present, along with members of the administration, police, and fire, and she presented Holland with a Y’alls tower bobblehead.

“This is our key to the city,” she said, trying to be heard above the traffic sounds.

The restaurant is located at 7301 Industrial Road, across the street from the Skyline Chili that Holland built.

There are also gas pumps and a store to the rear of the restaurant, and it is not yet completed, but Holland promises it will be ready soon.

Another project on Holland’s list is a Roy Rogers Restaurant that will be located on Industrial closer to SR 42 and that will also feature a Dunkin’ Donuts.