Crumbl Cookies opened its doors Friday at 10970 Dixie Highway, marking the bakery chain's first location in Louisville's South End. The grand opening also delivered the first visible result of a city-backed effort to fill empty storefronts with new restaurants.
Mayor Craig Greenberg announced the opening on social media, writing that he kept hearing from South End residents that they needed more food options and restaurants, so he launched the South End Loan and Incentive Fund to make it easier for restaurants of all types — whether a national chain or a local business — to open along Dixie Highway. In the same post, shared through his account on X
, Greenberg said programs designed to meet community needs and feedback can produce results, and added that the city's work is just getting started. The $3 million fund is intended to address commercial vacancies and boost business activity along the corridor, according to
Louisville Metro Government
.
How the Grant Money Works
At the center of the initiative is a dedicated $1 million Dixie Highway Restaurant Attraction Incentive, which awards grants of up to $30 per square foot to fast-casual and table-service restaurants moving into commercial spaces between 2,000 and more than 5,000 square feet, per One Louisville. Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis once a business hits construction and occupancy milestones, according to the organization's program details. The structure is meant to move quickly, turning underused storefronts into open businesses rather than leaving them vacant for years.
In February, Louisville Metro Government announced the fund's initial four restaurant grant recipients: LongHorn Steakhouse, Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Crumbl Cookies, and a local expansion of Derby City Pizza, according to the city government. Crumbl is one of those first four projects. The other projects include a LongHorn Steakhouse planned for the former Frisch's Big Boy site at 7401 Dixie Highway and a Freddy's Frozen Custard project at 8700 Dixie Highway near Elzie Road, as reported by WHAS11.
Permitting Help Mattered as Much as Cash
A Freddy's Frozen Custard project was among the businesses supported by the fund, according to WHAS11. The fund's support is part of a broader effort to attract businesses along Dixie Highway.
The South End fund fits into a broader run of investment activity the mayor's office has touted. The fund is part of broader citywide economic development activity. The lending mechanism underneath the South End fund, the Metropolitan Business Development Corporation's revolving loan program, offers small businesses gap financing of up to $100,000 for as long as 10 years at a minimum 5% interest rate, with loan terms typically based on a job-creation minimum of $25,000 per job created, according to the Jeffersontown, Kentucky government.
Other Neighborhoods Are Asking for Their Turn
The fund's early projects are located in the South End. The four initiatives offer a test case for whether targeted city incentives can reshape a neighborhood's commercial landscape.
For now, the Dixie Highway fund supports projects involving a bakery, a steakhouse, and a custard stand. Whether the model spreads to other corners of Louisville remains an open question.
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