Owner of Foxgardin, Bonge’s acquires Carnegie’s in Greenfield, plans reopening
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The owner of several restaurants in Hamilton and Madison counties has acquired Carnegie’s A Place To Eat in downtown Greenfield and plans to reopen the recently closed eatery after a “short remodel,” he announced on social media.
Chef Jake Burgess, owner of Burgess Restaurant Group LLC, said the acquisition closed Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Carnegie’s, a fine-dining eatery that occupied the lower level of a former Carnegie Library at 100 W. North St., closed in late June after a 26-year run under retiring former owner and chef Ian Harrison.
Burgess Restaurant Group operates Foxgardin Kitchen & Ale in Fortville, Foxgardin Family Kitchen in Fishers, The Den by Foxgardin in Fishers and Smokey’s Concession Stand in Lapel.
In late 2023, Burgess also purchased the famous Bonge’s Tavern in Perkinsville after 24 years under owner and chef Tony Huelster.
In his post, Burgess said “calls came pouring in” as soon as Harrison announced his retirement, urging Burgess to buy Carnegie’s.
“To me, Carnegie’s embraces everything our company does,” Burgess said. “It’s an integral part of the community. It’s a beautiful space. And it fits right in our wheelhouse.”
Burgess said Carnegie’s will keep its name and undergo just a few changes, including a new bar and a revamp to spruce the space up.
Before closing, Carnegie’s was open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Burgess plans to keep the restaurant operating seven days a week, opening at 11 a.m. daily for lunch business.
Burgess said he “would love to retain as much original staff as possible,” including sous chef Paula Stephens, who has worked there for more than five years and has expressed an interest in staying.
Carnegie’s, which was known for intimate candlelit dining, a wood-fired oven and a pianist on a baby grand, was one of the top-reviewed restaurants in Greenfield. Tripadvisor diners rated it as the second best restaurant out of 73 eateries in the city.
Burgess previously worked as a chef at the Indianapolis location of Prime 47 and at the Asian-fusion spot Sunsu at 225 S. Meridian St. before starting his first restaurant, Foxgardin Kitchen & Ale in Fortville, in 2015.