It’s official!
Robbie Robertson and Jack Vanwinkle closed the deal Friday the 13th 2026 on the purchase of The Family Dog from Robbie and Jean Robinson.

LEGEND BARKS BACK

The partners are excited about owning the landmark on First Street that once housed Speck’s, The Steakout, and The Family Dog. Bottom line, The Family Dog is coming back to life.

This morning a friend from EKU called me and asked me to check out his wife’s new consulting website. After reviewing Melody’s website, I told Mike that her website was very impressive and quite professional. Then, I mention to Mike when he comes for a visit this fall, we can take a walk back in time because two partners were opening The Family Dog. Without hesitation Mike said, “I met my wife at The Family Dog.”

This afternoon, I interviewed Robbie and Jack after they had closed the deal on the property. To say that the partners are excited is an understatement. They said, “We are enjoying the excitement, and we plan to give back to the community where we live. We have a big project ahead of us to get the property up and running. Thankfully, we are both in the construction business. We want to bring back the legacy of downtown Richmond.”

After taking some pictures of the partners at The Family Dog, we laughed at my picture on the wall as a bartender in 1976 and 1977. We talked about the good times of being in college at Eastern Kentucky University and all the people who have come through the doors and stood in line on First Street. We discussed their plans to fix up the building and get the first floor open around the time school starts and having another EKU Homecoming party.

The partners also have plans to open the third floor soon thereafter and are searching for someone who wants to open Paco’s. Jack and Rob are enthusiastic about the potential of breathing new life into this landmark. They even asked if we could do a monthly article discussing their progress. I wholeheartedly agreed.

I suggested that I would be happy to be a guest bartender, possibly around an event where we celebrated all the individuals who met their spouse at The Family Dog and told them that I have an idea for a house band!