Nashville’s restaurant scene continues to evolve as two high-profile projects announced that they were closing this week. But even in the face of the apparent failure of the concepts, both restaurants will still live on in new forms.
The first bombshell came as Chef Tandy Wilson announced that he would be stepping away from his second restaurant project Mop/Broom Mess Hall after a short six-month run of serving elevated versions of the same soulful Southern food that Wilson enjoys cooking at home for his own family. The green building at 1300 3rd Ave North opened as Kuchnia & Kellar in 2017, but that hybrid Eastern European/Midwest American concept couldn’t attract enough patrons to be sustainable in the large dining space offered by the build out of the former mop warehouse.
But like a phoenix rising (again) from the ashes, the building will again house a new restaurant concept sooner than later, as James Beard award-winning chef R.J. Cooper will open a new concept at 1300 3rd Ave. Cooper earned local acclaim as the opening chef at Henley, described as a “modern American brasserie in Midtown.” Cooper plans to keep the entire staff from Mop/Broom and work on the line with them for a short time during the transition to his yet-unnamed new restaurant and concept.
Also of note, Vivek Surti’s new international supper club concept Tailor Nashville will continue to operate out of the back room of the restaurant and share the kitchen.
In other comings and goings news, Homestead Manor in Thompson’s Station announced that they were closing after brunch service on February 24. The historic mansion has housed a restaurants since 2015 under the ownership and operation of A. Marshall Hospitality which also runs Puckett’s Gro. & Restaurant, Puckett’s Boat House and Deacon’s New South.
“Though it was out of our realm of expertise, we fell in love with the Homestead Manor property five years ago and were delighted at the opportunity to beautify and renew it,” CEO Andy Marshall explained. “With the recent announcement of Puckett’s inclusion in the Nashville airport expansion and other plans for growth in the near future, we now feel that Homestead deserves more attention than we are able to dedicate to it.”
In addition to the upcoming airport project, A. Marshall will continue to manage their other 11 restaurants and will offer employment opportunities at one of their other properties to their employees displaced by the closing of Homestead Manor.
Contributed by Chris Chamberlain
