'End of an era': The Back Door in the Highlands closes after nearly four decades

The sign placed on the door may have come as a shock to longtime customers.

But closing time had come for The Back Door, the well-loved neighborhood bar and restaurant in the Highlands.

The place was known for its chicken wings and the faces of patrons painted on its walls — and as the site of 39 years worth of stories that started at the bar’s front door.

Alice Dant didn’t tell many people, but she could see the final day was coming.

It had been on the horizon since the bar’s longtime owner, her husband, John, passed away from a sudden illness in October 2023. He was 62.

The Back Door is probably most known for him, the personable and sometimes mustachioed man so many were used to seeing behind the counter.

John Dant took the place over with some friends when he was 24. It was a good opportunity for a young guy and fitting for his outgoing personality, his wife told The Courier Journal last week.

The 5,000-square-foot spot on the side of Mid City Mall became a favorite hangout to watch sporting events or play pool and welcomed everyone from, “bikers to brain surgeons,” according to its website. Dant added a full kitchen early on, creating a big menu filled with fried mushrooms, chicken wings, quesadillas, burgers and chicken sandwiches.

After John Dant’s passing, his wife and their son, Taylor, took over the operation.

“John always wanted to get to 40 years,” Alice Dant said. “We wanted to continue his legacy.”

But the bar business was new for them.

“It was always John’s thing,” Alice Dant said.

She retired a few years ago from her career as a nurse practitioner. She and her son faced challenges without the bar’s leader.

“The bills started overwhelming us,” she said. “We felt like we tried the best we knew how.”

At some point in recent weeks, Dant had a moment of realization: “There’s no way we can keep this going.”

She made the tough call to close The Back Door on May 13, announcing the immediate closure with a printed sign and then a Facebook post saying the family "tried to pick up the pieces and keep the business running as best we can" and "not all dreams can be reality."

Dant said social media reaction was “crazy,” including “lots of love and positive messages.”

The Facebook post gathered more than 1,000 likes and 500 shares.

Comments included memories of meeting spouses there and celebrating a divorce at The Back Door, which many referred to as a “second home.”

“The Back Door had become my old friend that I knew I could always drop in to see whenever I wanted to,” read one comment.

“(John) loved the customers and they loved him. He called them his family,” Dant said. “Whatever the magic was, he knew how to keep it going.”

Part of the magic includes murals featuring cartoonish depictions of the bar’s customers. Those who wanted their face on the wall would send in photos for inspiration.

“John probably could name all of them,” she said.

In the middle, you can see the smiling face of John and his dog.

“I think people really miss him,” Alice Dant said. “As we do.”

Her next chapter looks different than she hoped, without her husband who was also nearing retirement age.

“It’s sad. We didn’t get to do all the things we wanted to do,” she said. “But it’s been a great run.”

She’s unsure of what the future looks like for The Back Door’s building, at 1250 Bardstown Road.

Sandy Metts, co-owner of Mid City Mall, is also unsure. She said there are no immediate plans to rent out the Back Door space.

“I’ve had a dozen people call about the Back Door space wanting to put another bar there,” she told The Courier Journal.

Whatever happens, this marks the “end of an era,” Dant said.

Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The Back Door bar in Louisville closes after nearly four decades