Hardin County Business Buzz: New Restaurants & Kilwins Coming

Key Takeaways

• General Pho's, a new Vietnamese sit-down restaurant, is coming to Radcliff at 944 N. Dixie — the green building across from Showtime Cinema — with entrance and parking around the back; targeted for fall
• El Guadalajara is coming to Lincoln Center, replacing Tequila House, with a hoped-for March opening; same owners as the well-reviewed Mi Jalisco
• Fuel Fortress (a 7–8 location chain) is moving into the former JoAnn building near Malibu Jack's — its third Kentucky location
• Kilwins, the chocolate and ice cream shop, confirmed to Nate by email that it is coming to Elizabethtown, though the exact location is unannounced
• The Sorting Spoon food truck is on hold — a delay, not a cancellation — putting its planned "butter beer" offering on pause

Summary

The OG crew flipped the usual run of show and led with business news, and Nate Bryan came with a full slate of new food and retail headed to Hardin County. The headliners are restaurants: General Pho's, a Vietnamese sit-down spot bound for Radcliff; El Guadalajara, a Mexican restaurant taking over the old Tequila House at Lincoln Center; and Fuel Fortress moving into the former JoAnn building. Nate also confirmed — after some detective work — that Kilwins chocolate and ice cream is coming to town, and shared that the Sorting Spoon food truck has pushed back its launch.

It was a fast, food-forward Business Buzz, with Scott Lucas and Jon O'Brien chiming in on locations and the state of dining around the county.

Watch this segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqPO4_grH9U&t=674s Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqPO4_grH9U

Full Article

With Rachel out and the original crew reunited, the show flipped its usual order. "Normally we don't lead with business news, but here we are," Phil said, handing it to Nate Bryan — who came loaded with new restaurants and a retail confirmation.

General Pho's: Vietnamese Sit-Down Coming to Radcliff

Nate kicked off in Radcliff with General Pho's, good-naturedly admitting he doesn't eat the food and might mangle the name. The restaurant is going in at 944 N. Dixie — Nate corrected an earlier post that had listed 914 — in "the green building right across from Showtime Cinema." Owner Van Tran introduced himself to Nate and made a strong impression. "Van Tran introduced himself to me. Great guy," Nate said, adding that Van is well respected and a veteran who helped feed people during the Blue Oval shutdown, using a code word so folks could get free food.

One detail surprised Nate: the entrance won't be on the Dixie side but around the back of the building. "That's where they'll be able to put the ramp and make it handicap accessible," he explained, noting there's plenty of parking back there too. The target is a fall opening, with no exact date yet, and Van is active on Facebook to keep people posted. Nate was genuinely excited: "There's not a whole lot of Vietnamese sit-down places" around, he said.

El Guadalajara: New Mexican at Lincoln Center

Staying on restaurant news "because everybody loves food," Nate reported that El Guadalajara is coming to Lincoln Center, replacing Tequila House, and is "supposed to be open hopefully by March — just be a few weeks changeover." He said it's owned by the same people behind Mi Jalisco, which "has great reviews. It's one of the best Mexican places in E-Town." Nate, who jokes the food doesn't sit well with him, still expects it to do well: "They have a great reputation. People love them."

Fuel Fortress: Moving Into the Old JoAnn Building

Next, Nate turned to "our resident workout artist" — a nod to Jon — with news that Fuel Fortress is coming to the former JoAnn building, the old Spirit Halloween / Spirit Christmas pop-up space. Fuel Fortress is "a chain — about 7 or 8 locations," with one in Bowling Green, Nate said, and this would be their third Kentucky location. They announced it on Instagram. He placed it near Malibu Jack's, around the corner from The Narrows. No exact opening date yet.

Kilwins Confirms It's Coming to E-Town

The retail headline took a little digging. After "a brief brouhaha" — a Publix developer posted a list of incoming tenants that vanished within about 48 hours — Nate went to work. "I contacted every single group on that list," he said. "One of their higher-ups emailed me personally, said yes, we're coming to E-Town." That higher-up was from Kilwins, the chocolate and ice cream shop you'll find in tourist-heavy towns like Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Branson. Nate suspects the Publix development but stressed the exact location hasn't been confirmed: "They haven't said exactly where they're going yet, but we do know Kilwins will be on the way." A self-described diabetic, Nate joked, "If you like chocolate, you'll get your fill — and I'm diabetic, so I'll take a shot."

Sorting Spoon Food Truck on Hold

Nate closed with an update on the Sorting Spoon food truck, which is pushing back its launch. Owner Tiffany Tucker reached out to let him know "there's been a bit of a delay," Nate said — emphasizing it's "not saying no. They're trying to work it out." The truck's planned butter-beer-style drink (the "Potter shot," for the 21-and-up crowd) is on pause along with everything else, but the team still very much wants to run it.

That wrapped Nate's lineup. "That's all I got for today," he said, before Phil reminded viewers that anything posted in the comments isn't automatically vouched for — "do your due diligence, fact-check if you need to."