Domino's at Publix? Donato's One Year, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Big Sandy

Key Takeaways

• Domino's appears to be coming to The Shops at Pear Orchard — PlanHub project 544527 lists a 1,416 sq ft, $350K tenant build-out at 1311 Pear Orchard Road, Suite 122.
• Donato's celebrates one year in Elizabethtown Friday from 4 to 6 PM — prizes including a chance at free pizza for a year.
• Nothing Bundt Cakes is officially open on North Dixie — line out the door on opening day Friday at 9 AM.
• Big Sandy Furniture confirmed on their website as the new tenant in the former Movie Palace. 2026 target.
• North Dixie is the corridor — Nate's commercial real estate read for the rest of the year.

Summary

Nate Bryan opened with what may be the biggest local restaurant rumor of the year. PlanHub — the construction industry's bidding platform — carries a project titled "Domino's – Elizabethtown, KY" at the exact address of the upcoming Publix-anchored development at Pear Orchard. The scope is real, the address is specific, and the project is in active bidding. But no city, Publix, or Domino's announcement has dropped yet.

The rest of the segment celebrated openings and a long-awaited confirmation. Donato's hits one year in town Friday with a celebration event. Nothing Bundt Cakes drew a line at 9:20 AM on Friday's opening. And Big Sandy Furniture officially confirmed they're taking over the old Movie Palace site.

For Hardin County residents tracking what's coming and what's leaving — this is the cleanest read on the corridor in months.

Full Article

Domino's at Publix? The Paper Trail Says Yes

Nate Bryan opened the segment with the kind of news that doesn't show up in a press release — it shows up in a contractor bidding platform. PlanHub is where general contractors and subcontractors bid for tenant build-out work, and the platform carries a project numbered 544527 titled "Domino's – Elizabethtown, KY" at 1311 Pear Orchard Road, Suite 122 — the exact address of The Shops at Pear Orchard, the upcoming Publix-anchored development.

The specs: 1,416 square feet, valued at approximately $350,000, currently in the GC and Subcontractor Bidding phase. Nate sent Phil the screenshots for upload to the show's records.

But Nate was straight with the audience about what is — and isn't — confirmed. "What's not confirmed: no city announcement, no Publix announcement, no Columbia Development announcement, no Domino's announcement, no press release." What it does mean: a named tenant + a specific suite + a defined scope on a real construction-bidding platform = a planned build-out heading toward construction.

The natural follow-up question: does this make Domino's #3 in Elizabethtown, or does the older Miles Street location close (the way Baskin Robbins closed at Governor's Manor when they moved to Ring Road)? Nate's instinct was that the Miles Street location would be the one to close if anything closed — it's been there since the 90s and the newer North Dixie store serves much the same area. Phil pushed back: "I walk there from my house to do pickup all the time. I hope they don't close that one."

Rachel jumped in on the construction side — $350K seemed low for a Domino's build to her. Britten clarified the terminology: "$350K to go in, put the plumbing in, put a bathroom in, have it ready for them to move their equipment in — that's actually especially since you're in construction phase and you're not having to change anything over, that's pretty reasonable. Basically they're going to white box that. They're going to put the concrete floors in, then Domino's brings their counters, equipment, whatever they're going to have." That's the standard commercial-restaurant arrangement — landlord delivers a clean shell, tenant brings their kitchen.

We'll be watching for the official announcement. Until then — the paper trail is the strongest signal we've seen.

Donato's Hits One Year in Elizabethtown

Sticking with pizza: Donato's is celebrating one year in Elizabethtown, located near Buffalo Wild Wings and Academy Sports ("the home store that's closed on Sundays"). Owner Philip Justice runs the store and drives back and forth from Louisville every day.

Nate has worked with Philip on Britten's Experienced Eater coverage before. "He's a great guy. He drives back and forth from Louisville every day to run this store in E-Town." Philip is hosting an in-store anniversary event this Friday from 4 to 6 PM with prizes — including a chance to win free pizza for a year. Philip's note to the audience, relayed by Nate: "He's really grateful to still be in the community and to have met so many awesome people."

Nate's tip beyond the pizza: "It's not just pizza. They've got cheese sticks. You can get subs. They've got all sorts of stuff. If you think Donato's or any pizza restaurant in general — Little Charlie's is a friend of ours — if you think they're just pizza, you're wrong."

Nothing Bundt Cakes Is Officially Open

Nothing Bundt Cakes opened on North Dixie Friday morning at 9 AM. Nate got there at 9:20 and there was already a line. He met owner Tom Brown — "a good dude" who was trying to meet every single person that walked in. Tom told Nate he'd done his research on Elizabethtown demand from Louisville and joked he would have been in town years ago if he'd realized the appetite.

The cake lineup runs from the big celebration cakes ("big bucks," per Nate) down to Bundtlets at around $5 each. Lots of flavors. The seasonal strawberry is fantastic. Two gluten-free flavors are on the menu.

Nate's haul covered the family: chocolate chip for the mother-in-law, lemon for his wife, Oreo for Nate, gluten-free chocolate chip for his mother. "Took care of all the women in my life. It's good. It's rich, but it's good."

Scott teed up the broader question — every grand opening in Hardin County recently has had a line out the door. Is the appetite real, or is the audience chasing shiny objects? Nate's take: this isn't shiny. K-Pot has done multiple visits with him and Courtney ("$100 for me and Courtney, but it was very good") — it's a special-occasion spot E-Town didn't really have before. Crumbl is in the same lane. Nothing Bundt Cakes fits that pattern — celebration baking that lasts.

Big Sandy Officially Confirmed for the Old Movie Palace

After months of rumor, Nate confirmed on air that Big Sandy Furniture is the tenant moving into the former Movie Palace location on Dixie. The letters are coming off the Dixie side of the building ("MOV..." remains), and the front is being redone — the front entrance is shifting from the Woodland side to the Dixie side.

Big Sandy has now confirmed it themselves at bigsandysuperstore.com/contacts, which shows an Elizabethtown / Woodland Drive location. Nate sent Phil the screenshots.

Original timeline target was 2026 — about eight months out. Nate hasn't seen hiring posts or a grand-opening date yet, but flagged that the inside is currently barren — flattened out and waiting for fit-out.

Phil's reaction to the confirmation: this fits the building. Big movie palace, big furniture store — same energy.

North Dixie Is the Corridor

Nate closed the segment with the macro read for any business owner watching. Hardin County commercial real estate has a clear hierarchy right now, and North Dixie sits at the top.

"You've got Lincoln Center with 13 more open spots. You've got the K-Pot plaza with four or five open spots. We've got the Mall which we still don't know who exactly is going to last. Every single spot is filling. If you're not by the hotels or right off the interstate, I think you want to be on North Dixie."

That's the corridor to watch — both for new arrivals and for the next round of news Nate brings to the table.