Country music and alcohol have gone hand and hand for decades, so it should come as no surprise that one of Nashville’s biggest trends sees artists cashing in on their good-time, party-hard reputations with namesake, destination restaurant-bars.
In the past 14 months, four of country’s Top 10 highest-earning acts are among the artists who have opened their own establishments on Nashville’s storied Lower Broadway. They include Luke Bryan’s Luke’s 32 Bridge Food+Drink, a 30,000 square-foot, six-level complex with eight bars that opened last month; Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, a 26,000 square-foot, five-level honky-tonk that opened in May; Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, a 27,000 square-foot complex whose doors opened in June; and FGL House, Florida Georgia Line’s 22,000 square-foot destination whose doors opened in June 2017.
These aren’t your grandpa’s honky tonks. Each includes multiple levels of bars cranking out live music at almost any hour of day or night, sophisticated menus serving up everything from sushi to hot chicken, and ample opportunity for fans to shop for “lifestyle” merchandise from their favorite artists while they admire props from music videos, tours, and awards shows. They’re one part Hard Rock Cafe and another part Margaritaville, and they’re attracting country-music fans in droves. Interestingly, both Hard Rock Cafe and Margaritaville have thriving locations in Nashville’s entertainment district; the latter’s business is “up around 1,000%” from a decade ago.
“When I moved to Nashville 20 years ago, Lower Broadway was all older honky tonks and souvenir shops you could go in and get a cowboy hat and a shot glass. Now you go down there and it’s so cool,” says Jason Aldean, whose bar is operated by TC Restaurant Group, the same company behind FGL’s establishment and a handful of other Nashville hangouts.
“Twenty years ago, if you’d told me I would have a bar in downtown Nashville, I would have said ‘Yeah, right.’ It’s crazy. But, it’s cool for fans. They can go have a drink at my place, see memorabilia from the FGL guys, hang at Blake’s bar. Nashville is booming as a city, and it’s fun to see the changes happening on Lower Broadway,” he adds.
Changes are happening all over the city, spurred by an influx of both visitors and residents. More than 14.5 million tourists visited Nashville in 2017. That’s up from about 8.5 million annual tourists a decade earlier. The city’s boom came thanks in part by the launch of ABC’s primetime soap Nashville in 2012, and it has become a go-to destination from everything from bachelorette parties to conventions in the years since. At least 115 new bars and restaurants have opened or will open in 2018 to help keep the influx of country fans satiated while they’re in town.
"As country music fans continue to flock to Nashville, it makes sense that country artists are creating destinations for their fans to experience the fun and music of Nashville,” says Damon Whiteside, Chief Marketing Officer of the Country Music Association. “No other city offers this."
Honky tonks are big business. According to The Tennessean, the 9,400 square-foot Honky Tonk Central did more than $20 million in revenue last year. Another restaurant to break the $20 million mark is Acme Feed & Seed, which opened in 2014 and is majority-owned by country superstar Alan Jackson. It now serves more than 25,000 customers every week.
The current trend on Broadway can be credited in part to Jackson; he was the first artist to put his name on a bar downtown, and his location — the four-story AJs Good Time Bar — is the only establishment whose building is owned outright by its namesake.
““I always wanted a bar to call home, especially on Lower Broadway,” the Country Music Hall of Famer says. "It’’s a good place to go and hear good country music. My goal and motive was just to do what George Jones had always told me, and that’’s just to keep it country.”
The new entertainment options have delighted Nashville visitors. Dierks Bentley, whose restaurant Whiskey Row opened on Broadway in February, says the bar is a major conversation point when he meets fans.
“Every third person I talk to on the road has either just been to Nashville or wants to go to Nashville, and they’re all talking about our bars,” he says. “Nashville is probably the most fun place to visit, not just for country fans, but for music fans. Lower Broadway has turned into a total entertainment district. It’s not just country fans, it’s all sorts of folks.”
Bentley says that one of the exciting things about Nashville’s resurgence is the mix of old and new. “In between our [new] bars are lots of old places, like Legends and Tootsie’s and Layla’s and Robert’s, so you have that original energy there too,” he says.
“My bar is in a building I used to visit a bunch when I first moved to town,” he adds. “It was a guitar store, and I used to go there and look at the guitars on the wall, hoping one day I’d be able to afford to buy one. So, it’s pretty full-circle and pretty awesome to own that building now.” (Bentley previously opened three Whiskey Row restaurants in his home state of Arizona with partner Riot Hospitality Group.)
Blair Gilley, bandleader for January Noise, a band with weekly residencies at both FGL House and Jason Aldean’s, says the influx of the new mega-bars has been great for local musicians — many of whom, like him, depend less on touring revenue since Nashville’s boom took off.
“With the addition of so many bars and live music rooms, there are more bands playing on any given night here than anywhere else in the country,” he says. “The pay for musicians has increased, and the shows have become more engaging for fans. It’s no longer just country music; groups like mine play everything from country to rock to pop to hip-hop, because it’s all about having a good time. Now, lots of artists like me get to play locally more and sleep in our own beds at night.”
Aside from standalone revenue opportunities, the bars represent great marketing opportunities for artists. During this year’s CMA Fest, bars were packed around the clock. Blake Shelton hosted several nights of parties sponsored by Spotify, and Jason Aldean welcomed members of his “Aldean Army” fan club. The clubs become home bases of sorts for artists — places to celebrate No. 1 records, launch albums, and play pop-up shows to unsuspecting fans visiting Music City.
“These artist-focused venues will provide a unique backdrop for many fan and industry events and activities in the future,” Whiteside says. The CMA partnered with Shelton’s Ole Red for an official watch party for last week’s CMA Fest and will announce its CMA Awards nominations from Bryan’s bar live on Good Morning America on August 28.
It’s not only 20,000-plus square feet establishments that are opening on Broadway. Last month, John Rich opened his 6,000 square-foot Redneck Riviera, and Kid Rock announced in June that he’ll be opening a namesake steak restaurant and bar with Tootsie’s owners and big-time Broadway developers Al Ross and Steve Smith.
There are still plenty of classic honky tonks and storefronts on Broadway for the taking, so it’s likely the current trend isn’t over. Notably missing from the stretch of neon lights are Garth Brooks (whose talented wife, Trisha Yearwood, could undoubtedly put together a tasty menu!); Dolly Parton (whose Dollywood mecca is only about 200 miles to the east); Kenny Chesney; and Brad Paisley. Don’t be surprised if you see an announcement from one of these acts soon.
Toby Keith, who licensed his name to a chain of restaurants that at one time boasted more than 20 locations in a dozen states, is also absent in Music City. A few years ago, he was making about $12 million per year off those licenses. After Keith’s biggest restaurant partner, Arizona-based Boomtown Entertainment, ran into various issues, the company closed all of its restaurants. Three I Love This Bar locations remain in Keith’s home state of Oklahoma, where they are operated by a different business partner.
For now, Lower Broadway’s landscape looks a lot like country radio’s: lots and lots of male names despite a huge female audience. At this year’s CMA Fest, country star and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum Kelsea Ballerini told me she hopes that changes soon. “I think the girls need to get in on the action,” she said. “Martina [McBride] needs to open up a place and call it ‘This One’s For The Girls!’ That would be perfect for all the bachelorette parties!”
That’s an idea this girl can definitely drink to.
