Conventional Suction & Elevated Vacuum Suspension
Story and photos by Christopher Harris
In Latin , the name “ Rex ” means “ king .” In Nancy , The Rex is the place you go to dine like one .
In fact , The Rex — the restaurant located at 9520 West Ky . 80 , in the former Nancy Funeral Home location — is named after a tiny Cockapoo dog , now in the care of Rick Barker .
“ A very , very good friend of mine passed away , and always asked me , ‘ If anything ever happens , promise you ’ ll take care of the dog ,” said Barker , who has had Rex for three years now . “ When we opened this restaurant , we wanted a good name , a short name . And we thought , ‘ Why not just The Rex ?’ And that ’ s what it is .”
Known for figuratively wearing many hats in Pulaski County — as well as a literal one much of the time , of the cowboy variety — Barker had held a 50-year-old dream that might have surprised some . Perhaps best known
for his work in real estate , particularly as owner and principal broker of Godby Realty & Auction , and by many others as a former jailer , 911 center director , or as one of the county ’ s keenest political observers , Barker had long sought to open and operate his own restaurant in Nancy .
“ I always loved to cook ,” said Barker . “... Through all that ( the jobs in his career ), I managed a restaurant a little bit ( night manager at Jerry ’ s ). I helped manage a grocery store . I ’ ve done a lot of things .” One day last October , Barker was driving by and noticed a “ For Sale ” sign in front of the former funeral home building . He realized it was suitable for a restaurant , big enough inside to do the job and parking enough to do it .
“ It just said , ‘ Hey , if you ’ re ever going to do it , now ’ s the time ,’” he said .
Barker bought the property last October and went to work transitioning it into a restaurant space . The total renovation included putting in a kitchen in the former funeral home space , and meeting all the necessary regulations .
“ It ’ s a large undertaking to build a restaurant ,” said Barker . He noted that doing so in Nancy presented its own set of challenges without some key infrastructure elements in place but it was worth it — “ Our sole desire was to have a restaurant in Nancy .”
Finally , after five months of hard work , The Rex opened in early February of 2024 , and it has quickly developed a following in western Pulaski County .
“ We have tremendous local support ,” said Barker .
However , after 13 weeks of being open , the restaurant , which seats 100 , had 36,000 customers — and not all of those would be from Nancy .
“ So we are growing far beyond the limits of Nancy ,” he said . “( On one particular day in May ), I ’ ve had people in here from Georgetown , London , Corbin , Columbia , Shelbyville .”
Part of that widespread appeal is that
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JUNE 2024 SEKY - Southeast Kentucky Life • 11