U.S. Senate recognizes Lisa’s Fifth Street Diner

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – “Welcome”

It’s a sign that’s been hanging on Lisa’s Fifth Street Diner since owner Lisa Parker opened the doors to her business 11 years ago.  And today, Senator Rand Paul honored the diner as U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week.

“Very honored, very grateful, very emotional,” said Parker.

Community leaders from Bowling Green came to celebrate as Paul awarded the restaurant.

“Over 50 percent of small businesses don’t make it. So the fact that they’ve been here 11 years, it’s a competitive market, there’s other small breakfast places here in town as well. But the fact they made it means they’re doing something right. That’s what we need, we need people with that drive, that innovation and really that risk to start a business, not knowing whether it’ll succeed or not, but they’ve done a great job succeeding here,” said Paul.

But it means so much more to Lisa than just that. Lisa made it through a pandemic as a small business owner.

“It’s tough. But we had a lot of good customers that came in every day. Some of them twice, they would come for breakfast and they would come back for lunch,” said Parker.

And Lisa, who battled cancer, meanwhile never stopping her work

“Sometimes I think if it wasn’t for this place, I would’ve. I wouldn’t have given up by no means, but it helped me. Some of the customers would get so mad at me because I would just sit. I didn’t really do anything. I would just sit. And they would say what’re you doing here. And I would say ‘I just had to come. ‘ And I would just sit for 2-3 hours and then I would go home and I would be OK,” said Parker.

Lisa said this award gives her continued hope for the future.