Book Excerpt: Remembering Boomer’s Canteen

John and Carole, the day I visited Boomer’s. Photo by Kevin Gibson

I found out only recently that Boomer’s Canteen (aka Boomer’s Cafe) downtown closed in September. It reminded me of the nice chat I had with the owners, John and Carole, one afternoon while there for lunch to write a review (solid burger and chili, as I recall). When I went searching for why the couple had closed their restaurant, I learned that John passed away last August. The building has recently been put up for sale. I sat in John’s office in the back of the little eatery for quite a while talking about the evolution of Museum Row and other topics, and then Carole served me lunch. Anyway, below is an excerpt from my book Unique Eats & Eateries of Louisville in tribute to a kind couple and their venture that fed a lot of hungry people and lasted for 25 years.

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Boomer’s Canteen

For the love of a dog

John Taylor was a lawyer who had refurbished a derelict building on West Main Street and never envisioned opening a restaurant. But on some friendly advice, he and his wife Carole started what amounted to a commissary, feeding workers in the rapidly growing area of downtown.

Not long after starting the commissary, they adopted a beagle puppy. One day, a family in town to visit a nearby museum stopped in the small, still-nameless eatery, and the little girl fell in love with the likewise-nameless puppy. She repeatedly referred to him as “Boomer,” and so the dog had his name. And so did the restaurant. The family would stop in from time to time to have lunch and check in on the happy canine they’d helped name.

Boomer’s mural.

More than two decades later, John still works in his law office in the back, while Carole is the face of the small café that is decorated with poster-sized images of their beloved, late dog, not to mention more stuffed animals, beagle signs, calendars, and whatnot, and general dog décor than you can shake a stick at. On the menu, you can get a Boomer burger, choose from several sandwiches and soups, or enjoy a daily blue plate special.

The point is, not only are bellies still getting full in what is now a booming museum district, but the memory of their late dog, Boomer, and his heart-warming story, live on.

“I had him from 7 weeks old to two months shy of 15 years,” Carole told me. “He was absolutely the best dog. I know people always say that, but he really was.”