Darnell Ferguson's Tha Drippin' Crab permanently closes. But SuperChefs may return

Dahlia Ghabour, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
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People had been asking celebrity chef Darnell Ferguson to open a restaurant in the West End of Louisville for years. In October 2021, that restaurant finally opened: a full-service seafood restaurant called Tha Drippin Crab.

But just one year later, the restaurant hit a string of bad luck and closed for good.

After a break-in and some equipment malfunctions in August, the restaurant closed temporarily to try to assess the damage. Tha Drippin Crab team attempted to reopen in October, but couldn't swing it. The restaurant has been closed and dark ever since.

The 3,000-square-foot restaurant at 1219 W. Jefferson St. stood out withwalls brightly painted in teal, orange and yellow. Some walls were edged with a painted dollop of butter "drip," with quotes like "got dripp on every bite" and "Welcome to the Russell Neighborhood" around the restaurant.

Darnell Ferguson of SuperChefs is opening a new seafood restaurant, Tha Drippin Crab, on West Jefferson Street in Louisville's Russell neighborhood. It's a bright, cheerful place that Ferguson says will serve the "best seafood" you've had in Louisville. Oct. 7, 2021
Darnell Ferguson of SuperChefs is opening a new seafood restaurant, Tha Drippin Crab, on West Jefferson Street in Louisville's Russell neighborhood. It's a bright, cheerful place that Ferguson says will serve the "best seafood" you've had in Louisville. Oct. 7, 2021

"This is a mixture between Pappadeaux and seafood boil restaurants," Ferguson previously said, referencing the popular seafood restaurant based near Cincinnati. "We combined them together. Everything is super unique, the corn, the potatoes, even the egg is different. We really just went all out: the details that you will see in the best restaurants are here. I wanted to make sure the quality was second to none. Nothing was skipped."

Ferguson said he wanted to reopen Tha Drippin Crab after the break-in, but it needed more marketing funds than he was able to provide.

"We did permanently close Drippin Crab," Ferguson said. "I just learned a lot about locations in that one, for me."

Ferguson is hosting his own show, "Superchefs Grunge Match," on Food Network this season, beginning Feb. 7, and said he could not afford what it would take to get the restaurant reopened, so he's focusing on his TV career with Food Network for the time being.

Host Darnell Ferguson, portrait, as seen on Superchef Grudge Match, Season 1.
Host Darnell Ferguson, portrait, as seen on Superchef Grudge Match, Season 1.

But his other Louisville restaurant, Superchefs, could be making a comeback soon. Superchefs closed last July in the Highlands when its lease ended, and Ferguson said he planned to move the restaurant to a smaller location. In an interview in January, Ferguson confirmed moving Superchefs is still very much in his plan for the year.

"I'm taking a break [from the restaurants,]" Ferguson said. "I wanted to get through all this TV stuff, and we're waiting for spring or summer to see what we'll do with Superchefs."

Reach food reporter Dahlia Ghabour at dghabour@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Tha Drippin' Crab permanently closes. But SuperChefs could return