This longtime Lexington restaurant has been sold. What are the new owners changing?

Charlie Brown’s Restaurant, a staple of Chevy Chase and UK campus life for nearly 50 years, has changed hands for only the second time.

Longtime owner Dave Fuller turned the hangout known for its cozy atmosphere as much as its food over to new hands on March 1.

But don’t panic if you’re a fan of the Bacon Cheddar Burger or Emily’s Chicken (a grilled blackened chicken breast with barbecue sauce, Ranch and cheddar that’s been on the menu forever.)

The menu and the decor, including the books (which have been there pretty much from the beginning) and the sofas (which, thankfully, have been switched out over the years) are not going anywhere, according to new owners Chris Brothers, Chris Behler and Sean Feld.

The stained glass panels made by artist Frank Close years ago are staying put, too.

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“Some people have come in and had no idea things had changed ownership, which is pretty much the way we wanted it,” Brothers said.

They took over the first weekend, when the windstorm hit Central Kentucky and much of Lexington lost power for days. Charlie Brown’s was lucky and was able to stay open despite some damage to the deck roof.

“We were slammed!” Brothers said.

But they held on, stayed open and are finding their groove, with assistance from Fuller on occasion.

“I think one of the reasons he trusted us is, having been her for 40 years, he’s created an amazing sense of nostalgia and a vibe … he knew we liked what he had built. And we were not about making big changes,” Brothers said.

According to Fuller, a restaurant and bar opened at 816 E. Euclid Ave. in 1972 called The Rusty Nail. After a small fire, the place was redone and re-opened as Charlie Brown’s.

Charlie Brown’s Restaurant history

The restaurant was a bit different then: The upstairs was upscale with prime rib while the lounge downstairs was primarily a bar that barely served food.

In 1983, original owner Bill Carlisle sold the business to Fuller and Larry Ellington. They leased out the top floor in 1987 and it’s been a Mexican restaurant ever since, first Rincon and now Papi’s.

In 1988 they added the deck out back and every year they added more and more food to the menu, feeding University of Kentucky students, local businessmen and women and neighborhood families who come by every day for lunch and dinner and late night grub.

The occasional movie star would turn up as well: Jim Varney, the Lexington-born actor who was best known as Ernest P. Worrell first in commercials and then in movies, came by the bar nightly when he was in town, Fuller said.

Meet the new owners of Charlie Brown’s Restaurant

Ellington died in 2008; Fuller said that he decided this year, after 40 years in the business, he was ready to step away.

In March, he turned Charlie Brown’s over to some of his regulars: Bloodstock agents Brothers and Feld and restaurant manager Behler to take on the running of an institution.

Behler had been managing Charlie Brown’s for more than 12 years and was best friends with Brothers, who runs Xavier Bloodstock, and Feld, who runs Feld Family Bloodstock. They’d talked about buying the business if Fuller was ever interested in selling.

Brothers said that his family in Queens and Brooklyn had bars and restaurants and he’d always hoped to get into a family-oriented place too.

“I have three girls, so it’s nice to have some sports talk every once in a while,” Brothers said. “Dave became a good friend, and Dave looked at us as maybe the next generation. It was kind of an honor and a privilege that he would even consider selling it to us.”

“When Dave was finally ready, we luckily were his first call,” Behler said. “I worked for Dave for 13 years and when he was ready to do it he could have gone any number of ways and sold to any number of people. The fact that he picked us first ... he had it himself for 40 years ... quite the legacy to be handed.”

Brothers said that living up to the legacy is “scary but also there’s such a sense of pride that goes with it. It’s really a very proud moment for us.”

What new owners have changed at Charlie Brown’s

So far the biggest changes have been adding another TV and tweaking the specials. People asked for hot dogs, so they’ve added those. And for St. Patrick’s Day they had Guinness beef stew with colcannon that sold out quickly.

And they’ve heard from former employees who have called in tears to say thank you for keeping the place going they way they remember it.

“Going forward, I think Charlie Brown’s, being the staple that it is … we want to continue that tradition and be involved in the community,” Brothers said. “We just look forward to being a part of Chevy Chase area and Lexington as a whole.”

Charlie Brown’s

Where: 816 E. Euclid Ave.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday noon to 11 p.m.