Midtown Kenect Nashville’s mixed-use tower saw the opening of MR*T Cafe.
According to a release, MR*T (pronounced “market”) will focus on takeout food and beverage options. The adress is 800 19th Avenue S.
Terms of the lease with Infuse Hospitality, owner of MR*T, and Akara Partners, owner of Chicago-based Kenect, as well as the cost of commissioning are not disclosed.
MR*T will offer a full coffee bar through local coffee shop concept Frothy Monkey and to-go selections from Tennessee entities such as The Loveless Cafe, Oliver & Sinclair Chocolate Company, SuckerPunch Hydration and Walker Brothers Kombucha.
Local artist and designer Joe Geis created a mural for the interior of the space.
New York-based Infuse also plans to open an MR*T in a Kenect building in Phoenix. Infuse operates its concepts in residential and hotel buildings. Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea is its flagship coffee concept, with locations in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Los Angeles. The company also operates a concept in Providence.
“We are passionate about celebrating local flavors and fostering community connections,” Ashley Hartle, CEO of Infuse Hospitality, said in the release. “Our collaboration with Kenect Nashville to introduce MR*T reflects our commitment to delivering immersive experiences that resonate with the vibrant spirit of Nashville. We are excited to bring this vision to life and contribute to the thriving local culture.”
Other Infuse concepts include Noa, Remedy Tenant Lounge, Poindexter Coffee, Reiners Bar and Game Room and The Foyer.
MR*T is open every day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Rooftop Bar Opens at East Nashville Hotel on Main Street
Waymore’s Guest House and Casual Club in East Nashville saw the opening of rooftop bar Tall Tales.
According to a release, Tall Tales features a 2,000-square-foot indoor bar and lounge and a 4,000-square-foot rooftop. Hundreds of square meters of custom-made planters, curated by Oasis Design, are filled with more than 500 trees, bushes, flowers and herbs.
Chef Daniel Gorman oversees the bar which opened a few days ago.
Through an LLC, L+R Hotels and Bullwhip Capital acquired the building (but apparently no part of the business) from Lyla Tov Hospitality Holdings LLC, which included Nashville-based developer Adam Leibowitz and various business partners. That transaction closed in September 2022 for $27.75 million (read here).
“Tall Tales is about celebrating the independent spirit in all of us,” Jeff Burns, co-owner of Bullwhip, said in the release. “But above all, it is a space where everyone should feel welcome. This is where you can be whoever you want – dreamer, joker, good time, lover – with the famous Nashville skyline as your backdrop.
Nashville-based Dryden Architecture and Design led the redesign of what had been called FieldHouse Jones Hotel, with Austin-based New Waterloo Hospitality Group managing the property.
The five-story hotel building opened briefly in late 2019 before closing after suffering damage in the March 2020 tornado and then in the face of the pandemic.
Waymore’s Guest House and Casual Club is billed as a “pet-friendly hotel” featuring 93 guest rooms, 15 suites, and various bunk rooms, each with floor-to-ceiling windows, a walk-in shower, and a conventional workspace . The hotel also offers All Day Coffee at Waymore’s.
Tall Tales is open Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Double Dogs sports bar west of town closes
Dog-friendly burger and beer company Double Dogs will close its Sylvan Heights location on July 1. Nashville Business Journal reports.
Quoting a social media post, JNB reports that the Hillsboro Village Double Dogs will remain open (read here).
The Bowling Green-based parent company opened the Sylvan Heights location in the summer of 2016, and the Hillsboro Village location on 21st Avenue South began operations in 2015.
Double Dogs operates out of a building on a site developed by Nashville-based HG Hill Realty Co. (and which includes a residential component).