COVINGTON, Ky. — A Northern Kentucky burger joint is paying homage to the Kenton County Library as the restaurant celebrates its 10-year anniversary.
Bard's Burgers & Chili rebranded and reopened in 2015, and the restaurant's owner, Jordan Stephenson, says the library played a huge role in his restaurant's success.
In a Facebook post, Stephenson said he didn't have Wi-Fi at home in 2015, leading him to turn to the Kenton County Public Library to write menus, conduct research and create the foundation for Bard's Burgers & Chili.
"This public resource means so much to us," Stephenson wrote.
Bard's Burgers' anniversary also coincides with the recent opening of the library's Latonia Branch earlier this month.
To celebrate the new branch in Bard's Burger's neighborhood, the restaurant is offering a limited-time drink called "Li-berry Lemonade," which is lemonade with raspberries grown in the Latonia community garden and picked by Stephenson.
A portion of the drink's sales will be donated to the Latonia Community Libraries. The restaurant said on Facebook that the drink will be available "for the rest of the summer."
"We are so excited to welcome Kenton County Public Library to the neighborhood," Stephenson wrote on Facebook.
Gina Stegner, the public relations and social media coordinator for the Kenton County Library, said the success of Bard's Burgers is part of what is central to the library's mission.
"The Kenton County Public Library is proud to help power dreams," she said in a press release. "Seeing Bard's success and knowing we were part of that beginning is what community connection is all about."
The new Latonia Branch of the library offers public computers, flexible meeting rooms and access to business and career sources, Stegner said.
The branch is one of four physical branches that serve more than 170,000 residents throughout Kenton County.
