Nashville Bits and Pieces

[KJHburg]

there might be a fancy like Applebee's coming to downtown Nashville.  And before you laugh me off this board actually I think it would do very good near  Broadway or very close by.

https://tasteofcountry.com/walker-hayes-fancy-like-applebees-nashville/    Times Square has an Olive Garden why not an Applebees in downtown Nashville with a major country music theme? 

[titanhog]

8 hours ago, KJHburg said:

there might be a fancy like Applebee's coming to downtown Nashville.  And before you laugh me off this board actually I think it would do very good near  Broadway or very close by.

https://tasteofcountry.com/walker-hayes-fancy-like-applebees-nashville/    Times Square has an Olive Garden why not an Applebees in downtown Nashville with a major country music theme? 

As long as any restaurant has an “urban” setting and doesn’t stick out like the McDonald’s on Broadway across from Whole Foods…the more the merrier.

[Deangelo]

A fancy themed applebee's restaurant would be perfect on lower broadway. Lower Broadway is a area that get a lot of tourists, and a fancy themed applebee's restaurant fits in with the atmosphere of lower broadway and it would make lower broadway more interesting and tourists and local people would have another restaurant to go and get something to eat at. Also, nashville yards is going to be a area that have a lot of tourists and local people visiting. So. a fancy themed applebee's restaurant would be good for nashville yards 

[smeagolsfree]

Yea, we saw this last week. We think this is just a publicity stunt by the singer. We decided not to run it. He mentions other restaurants in his song too. I really don't think Applebee's could find a space large enough or with the right rent to make it work for them. The key is turnover and alcohol sales to make a restaurant work. Lower Broadway is not casual dining. It is high end or fast casual designed for quick numbers. You have to turn those table quickly. O'Charleys tried on Second, Fuddruckers. Even Demo's gave up the ghost on 3rd.

[Baronakim]

56 minutes ago, High Rise Lover said:

A fancy themed applebee's restaurant would be perfect on lower broadway. Lower Broadway is a area that get a lot of tourists, and a fancy themed applebee's restaurant fits in with the atmosphere of lower broadway and it would make lower broadway more interesting and tourists and local people would have another restaurant to go and get something to eat at. Also, nashville yards is going to be a area that have a lot of tourists and local people visiting. So. a fancy themed applebee's restaurant would be good for nashville yards 

Fern bars like Applebee's have been  dying out for years.  Boring.  The strength of Nashville in food ecellence is not in more tired old chain restaurants.  One of the big problems I have noted with similar restaurants here in Nashville is that they do not pay enough to keep staff.  The last 3 times I tried to go to Chili's for instance, i was told there would be a 30 minute wait even though the dining rooms were less than a quarter full.  I presume all the staff at this new Applebee's would use public transportation as they are not going to afford downtown parking.  I seriously doubt tippers would be as generous at an Applebee's either than the more packed Lower Broad venues.

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Baronakim

[Deangelo]

17 minutes ago, Baronakim said:

Fern bars like Applebee's have been  dying out for years.  Boring.  The strength of Nashville in food ecellence is not in more tired old chain restaurants.  One of the big problems I have noted with similar restaurants here in Nashville is that they do not pay enough to keep staff.  The last 3 times I tried to go to Chili's for instance, i was told there would be a 30 minute wait even though the dining rooms were less than a quarter full.  I presume all the staff at this new Applebee's would use public transportation as they are not going to afford downtown parking.  I seriously doubt tippers would be as generous at an Applebee's either than the more packed Lower Broad venues.

 

Applebee's is dying out,

I think if they put a different applebee's on lower broadway A applebee's with arcade video games inside of it and a bowling alley that would bring people to it because it's not just a regular applebee's where you just go to get something to eat there's  stuff there that you can do to have fun 

[Baronakim]

3 hours ago, High Rise Lover said:

Applebee's is dying out,

I think if they put a different applebee's on lower broadway A applebee's with arcade video games inside of it and a bowling alley that would bring people to it because it's not just a regular applebee's where you just go to get something to eat there's  stuff there that you can do to have fun 

If you want eat...EAT.   You want games...try Chuck E. Cheese.   Bowling?  The very high square footage costs on Lower Broad  will preclude that ever happening.   The rule is "Stack em and pack em", serving lots of pricey booze as fast a s possible.  Any restauranteur wanting to open up with a slow paced  dining  like Applebee's (Did I just say "dining" at Applebee's?)  experience had better have the lowest price entree at $30 or more as a minimum.  Otherwise they are on a fast trac on the way out of business.

Edited August 14, 2022 by Baronakim

[Luvemtall]

IMO, if this is even a thing. That it will be another celebrity sponsored Honky Tonk, with Applebees providing the eats. Sorta like all the rest ( if you go to one, you’ve seen the rest) that line Lower Broadway. I don’t think a stand alone Applebees or any other similar establishments would survive, in that “ experience “ that is LB . 

[Skyscrapergeek]

39 minutes ago, Baronakim said:

 (Did I just say "dining" at Applebee's?) 

 

[markhollin]

Courtesy of NASHtoday:

Metro launched a new interactive tool that tracks the progress of 800+ neighborhood projects across Nashville. The Neighborhoods Improvement Tracker provides real-time construction updates, from groundbreaking to completion.

Each item on the map is a capital improvement (a project that costs more than $50,000 and has a lifetime of 10+ years). Projects can range from upgrades to Metro facilities like schools and community centers to enhancing infrastructure like sidewalks, bridges, speed bumps, and bike lanes.

Currently, the tracker shows updates for community safety (pink), education (orange), infrastructure (blue), and neighborhood projects (yellow).

You can check out the map here:

https://nashville.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1475ba3079994c8a9c987293f6ce2bb2&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2022.08.15 NASH&utm_term=NASHtoday Subscribers - MASTER

[Bos2Nash]

On 8/13/2022 at 7:42 PM, KJHburg said:

there might be a fancy like Applebee's coming to downtown Nashville.  And before you laugh me off this board actually I think it would do very good near  Broadway or very close by.

https://tasteofcountry.com/walker-hayes-fancy-like-applebees-nashville/    Times Square has an Olive Garden why not an Applebees in downtown Nashville with a major country music theme? 

On 8/14/2022 at 8:52 AM, smeagolsfree said:

Yea, we saw this last week. We think this is just a publicity stunt by the singer. We decided not to run it. He mentions other restaurants in his song too. I really don't think Applebee's could find a space large enough or with the right rent to make it work for them. The key is turnover and alcohol sales to make a restaurant work. Lower Broadway is not casual dining. It is high end or fast casual designed for quick numbers. You have to turn those table quickly. O'Charleys tried on Second, Fuddruckers. Even Demo's gave up the ghost on 3rd.

Is this actually real like going through water/sewer permitting or something?

Or is it more like this article back from april fools day?

https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2022/04/01/walker-hayes-to-open-four-story-applebees-bar-grill-in-former-ernest-tubb-record-shop/

[nashville born]

Our hero is at it again!

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/giarratana-preps-purchase-of-small-downtown-structure/article_a5de530c-1ccf-11ed-baed-679894616d9e.html

Giarratana preps purchase of small downtown structure

Local development company could be planning tower for MLK Boulevard property next to TSU building

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by nashville born

[Luvemtall]

That’s a small piece of property, it will need to be a really tall and skinny to fit there. Unless he collaborates with TSU as he did with the Y, and incorporated something into their existing building. 

Doesn’t Streetlights own a piece of property in there somewhere? 

[smeagolsfree]

New thread here;

 

[nashville born]

A few posters in the past have shared that my desire to see the parking lot at 7th and Union developed was a pipe dream.  I didn't really understand why.  Just had a duh moment.  Zoomed in on Snodgrass for the FIRST time and just realized that entire block (including the lot) is the Snodgrass development.  Goodness.  Jokes on me!  I am officially letting that dream go!  Welcome to Earth, nashville born, welcome to Earth. 

[Luvemtall]

NEVER give up your dreams NB!! Though it might be very unlikely to happen, hey maybe the state decides they need more office space … boom there you have it , build a second tower on that parking area … problem solved!! 

[markhollin]

Nice feature on George Tomlin of GBT Realty at NBJ:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2022/08/18/gbt-realty-george-tomlin.html

Also, a Q&A with George:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2022/08/18/gbt-q-a-with-tomlin.html

[markhollin]

Prisma, a Phoenix-based printing company, will expand its Nashville operations to a 110,000 sq. ft.  and adding 50 more employees to the 50 already in place by 2023.

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2022/08/24/local-print-frim-plans-explosive-growth.html

[AsianintheNations]

OK, I'm not really sure where this would go so feel free to move if this is the wrong thread. The other day on I-40 just west of I-440's western terminus, I passed by three trucks carrying wind turbine blades, which were traveling east. Any idea where they might have been heading? I wasn't aware of any wind farm projects in the Southeast and would've expected them to be traveling in the opposite direction. Maybe West Virginia? Or just replacing a single turbine at Buffalo Mountain? I definitely did not envy them having to imminently navigate the highway network near downtown and was surprised that they didn't take I-840 instead.

[titanhog]

3 hours ago, AsianintheNations said:

OK, I'm not really sure where this would go so feel free to move if this is the wrong thread. The other day on I-40 just west of I-440's western terminus, I passed by three trucks carrying wind turbine blades, which were traveling east. Any idea where they might have been heading? I wasn't aware of any wind farm projects in the Southeast and would've expected them to be traveling in the opposite direction. Maybe West Virginia? Or just replacing a single turbine at Buffalo Mountain? I definitely did not envy them having to imminently navigate the highway network near downtown and was surprised that they didn't take I-840 instead.

Buffalo Mtn Wind Farm near Oak Ridge

[markhollin]

Ryman Hospitality's Colin Reed thinks Nashville could be 'one of the playgrounds of the planet if we do this right.'

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2022/08/30/colin-reed-on-downtown-as-global-playground-future.html

[smeagolsfree]

Article from the Tennessean about the Diners have returned but the workers have not. I think it all has to do with what restaurant it is. I still do not go out and eat like I did at pre pandemic levels but when I do, I have found the places I go have no issues with good service.

Some have limited their menu or hours a bit, but most are fine. The ones that are really suffering are the ones that refuse to change or pay higher wages or increase their prices to where they need to be. I don't mind paying a little extra to get good service and food.

The industry that is not changing is the fast-food industry. It still has crappy workers, crappy food, crappy services, reduced hours, some have closed their dining room and gone to drive through only. I will not shed a tear if most of them just disappear. I heard from a friend about the Popeyes in Ashland City that there was just one worker for the entire restaurant, and they just shut the place down and went home. I know the McDonalds there has never reopened the dining room and is still just doing the drive through. It is no wonder when I saw the sign that said now hiring up to $8.50 an hour.  

Restaurant industry struggles to retain staff, hire employees (tennessean.com)

[MLBrumby]

Definitely hit or miss.  Went to a Red Robin in Knoxville last week at around dinner time and there was 1 server for the whole restaurant. Told us there's a "90 minute wait".  Of course we didn't. We ran into similar situations all around Turkey Creek.  On the other hand, went to McAlister's Deli on Signal Mtn. here in Chattanooga and it was fully staffed and humming like well-tuned machinery. Their staff is made up mostly of high schoolers, and I wonder if midday during the week it's so good.  Chick fil a always hums along, even during weekdays. 

Edited August 30, 2022 by MLBrumby

[nightranger36]

Mcdonalds in Rivergate on 2 mile pkwy has  been closed a while now. Also Wendys  across the street closed in the last month. Both used to stay busy and have lines at the drive thru,but probably because of worker shortage and slow service.

[subkyle]

4 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

Article from the Tennessean about the Diners have returned but the workers have not. I think it all has to do with what restaurant it is. I still do not go out and eat like I did at pre pandemic levels but when I do, I have found the places I go have no issues with good service.

Some have limited their menu or hours a bit, but most are fine. The ones that are really suffering are the ones that refuse to change or pay higher wages or increase their prices to where they need to be. I don't mind paying a little extra to get good service and food.

The industry that is not changing is the fast-food industry. It still has crappy workers, crappy food, crappy services, reduced hours, some have closed their dining room and gone to drive through only. I will not shed a tear if most of them just disappear. I heard from a friend about the Popeyes in Ashland City that there was just one worker for the entire restaurant, and they just shut the place down and went home. I know the McDonalds there has never reopened the dining room and is still just doing the drive through. It is no wonder when I saw the sign that said now hiring up to $8.50 an hour.  

Restaurant industry struggles to retain staff, hire employees (tennessean.com)

I own the Subway in Ashland city and I can tell you the other fast food joints in that town are hurting bad. I have been in that business for 18 years and now, more than ever, you have to have a ownership presence to help monitor operations. Out of 16 locations I have had very little experiences where we’ve had to close early due to staffing. It goes a long way with people when the top works as hard or harder and sets the example. 
 

I do feel bad for many restaurant operators because the rules have definitely changed. Cost of goods have skyrocketed and that greatly effects how much you have for payroll. Also, the attitudes of the younger staff have gone down the toilet. I could give dozens of real world experiences, the bottom 25% of people on my payroll are the problem. It’s little things, like people accepting a job and not even showing up for the first day. I’m truly concerned for this younger generation of workers