The Roundup 12-31-22

00:00Now you're recording me. I'm recording now claiming that I'm ready. Are you ready? I'm ready. Are you ready not only to record? Here's the question. Are you ready for 2023? Yeah. Me too. I've never been more ready. I feel the same way. I'm not, I'm. We're just jumping right into it. Do you want to do an intro? No. Fucking intro. That's how ready we are. We don't even need an intro. Well, I'm Caroline and here's Brandon and. Here we are. We've had like three weeks off. We have. I have, this is the longest I've gone without seeing you in quite some time. I know like, how are you? I. We haven't even like, to preface this, like this isn't bullshit. This isn't, like we're just catching up. Like I haven't even got to say hi to you. We, we've been furiously texting each other over the last few weeks because we've both been super busy trying to figure out when are we going to record? And then I'm leaving town for 10 days to go to Chicago.

01:00And we said, when are we going to record? And what are we going to do about our episodes? Cause I think we've got to get episodes right out first of the year. The people are demanding it. They're demanding it. I think it's more of a personal need that I have to do this now. It's like therapy for me. But so two weeks ago, I said, okay, this might be a wild question, but are you free on New Year's Eve to record and free all day? And so here we are at 11 a.m. on. New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve, recording the Roundup. Here, welcome to the Music City Roundup. There you go. We are here live in Nashville, Tennessee. Like the, I haven't used my radio voice in a while. Well, and Brandon, I think that it actually was destined to be for us to be recording this morning because late last night, we got the most groundbreaking, crazy, what the heck is happening news of the entire year, which is that Arnold's is closing.

02:02I thought you were gonna say Barbara Walters died. Well, that is, that, I mean, I wouldn't say that that was like shocking news simply because she is an older person, but that was some sad news to end the year. She is an icon. We can get into Barbara Walters later. We did get the news that Arnold's is closing, officially came out. Do you know who broke the story? I do. It was the Nashville being our friend, Steve Cavendish. So Rose was really pissed off about this. Oh, she was. Yes. Oh, I didn't know that. Rose made a post that said she wanted to wait till after the new year to make a formal announcement, but somebody in the media couldn't hold their effing mouth and put an article out. She said that on her post. Read us the post. I'm gonna find the post now. Now I'm gonna find, hold on. I actually, so I found out, I found out through, I'm on the, I signed up for the banner, which if you're not, you should be. And that's how I saw the news is they sent out an email and I loved that Steve got the scoop and broke the news because Steve is a phenomenal journalist.

03:07So here's what she wrote. Arnold's Country Kitchen, 19 hours ago. I was waiting until next week to release this statement, but a reporter disrespectfully released my story early without my consent and before all of my employees could be told. Rose Arnold. Yikes. I did not know that. Yeah, so that was a. I actually assumed that they had chosen to break the news with Steve because he is such a fantastic journalist. Did you know this was coming? Absolutely not. Did you? I have known for like three months. Oh wow. That's how I've like. Are you the one who has just been spilling it around town and spoiled the news? I haven't told anybody. I was told in confidence like three months ago by someone. I'm not gonna tell you, but they sold their plot and I was like, what? They said, yeah, Arnold's is gonna close and I was like, holy shit. So you weren't shocked to see this news as many people were. No, and it's funny because I reached out to Khalil yesterday morning just as a, hey man, love to have you in the show to start the new year and then I saw this news and I was like, oh shit, I'll bet he thought I was calling him to see if he wanted to make a statement.

04:16Then I did message him and I was like, dude, do you wanna come on and say something? Well, we have been talking about having Steve on the show, which is for me a must. I don't know if he listens, Steve, but if you do, we've got to get you scheduled to come on the show. So I'd love to get the scoop from him about how this went down. All right, Steve Cavendish, let's go. Let's come on the show. We would love to have you here. I would love that. No, I think that it's another indication of what's happening to Nashville and it's inevitable. I don't blame them. I'm excited for them. I would put a congrats out there. That is a grind running that business every day and now Arnold's at night and through the pandemic, just the line every day. Khalil is there all the time and he's greeting everybody and like, dude, take a break, man. So they did mention in the article that there will possibly be another iteration of Arnold's somewhere, but I will say, I have no doubt that they'll be successful in whatever their next endeavor is, but there is something so special about that building and that charm and it's, I remember going there the first time I ever visited Nashville 15 years ago and it's just something that is of a time gone by, I think especially if you grew up in the South and you grew up going to cafeterias, like with your grandparents or like, that's my memory of going to these types of places.

05:47I think that Khalil and Rose are a master class in hospitality. I think the fact that they're always there, the fact that they remember your name, the fact that they will come by and greet you and I saw somebody's post where they said, Khalil's amazing because you'll come in, you'll order your food and then you go sit down and then he always comes by and he's like, here you guys and he slips like another plate to you like with a little something. That's the soul of that and there's the building, there's the whole idea of the cafeteria, like it's the people, it's the Arnold family to me that makes that place special. Like they could never sell Arnold's and then have like the Johnsons come in and try and run it because it's Rose and Khalil. Well, there's something really special too about just about the food and about the culture of the food and the way that their food can express something if that makes sense. I just, I feel like I have so many memories of, I grew up in Alabama but I lived in Northern cities for many years and I have a lot of friends who grew up in Chicago or grew up in Boston or have really never spent any time in the South and when they come to Nashville, I can take them to Arnold's and I can almost tell them a story about myself through that food.

07:05I hope that doesn't sound dumb but it's like, so this is the type of food I grew up eating and the green beans taste like this because of that and this is what my grandmother's green beans tasted like or here's how they make their chocolate pie and here's how theirs is a little bit different because my grandma would do it this way but it's just, I don't know, it's like a way that you can explain, I felt like I could explain part of my culture as a Southern person. I feel like Nashville's, I was interviewed by a guy named Frank Gluck the other day. He's a writer for the Tennessean. He typically writes about politics and things but he was writing an article about the new restaurants in coming to Nashville and he said, so Brandon, what do you know about the new, I'm writing an article about new restaurants in Nashville. I said, I know that I'd like you to write an article that was about these are the legendary restaurants of Nashville that made Nashville what it is. I said, I think there's so much emphasis on the new hot new restaurant and there's not enough emphasis on places like Arnold's and some of the meat and threes or I mean, our restaurants are legacy restaurants but like some of the people that made Nashville Nashville and I said, I think there's, I think it's lost in the shuffle and I would love to continue to support them and I hate, I think this is another chipping away at the fabric of what made Nashville special in all honesty and it's inevitable.

08:34The city's growing, you need high rises, you got people that wanna be there, they have money, that's how the economy works. This is such a difficult business that, God, how do you not take that opportunity? You have to. I would. But I just, it's just, it's just. I get it. It's a bummer for all of us. It's tough, it's a tough thing because the Nashville, I've lived in Nashville for 34 years. Yeah. You know, I mean, this is what I remember. These are the things I remember about Nashville and it's slowly eroding and it's gonna, before you know it, it's gonna be a city that is completely different than what made it special. Yeah. And Nashville's a special place. I had a girl who's one of our essays at Greenhouse Grill who moved to Chicago to go to school and she was back in town the other day and she was eating in the restaurant and I said, hey, how's Chicago? She was like, it's different. Like it's just a different place. And I was like, yeah, I mean, it's a different place.

09:35She's like, I miss Nashville. There's a feel here. She grew up here. That's her, this is her, like, you know, you may have that feel for Chicago. Yeah, I mean, I certainly. But it's just a different feel. I certainly feel that way about certain places in Alabama where I grew up and I do feel that way about certain places in Chicago. You know, I moved to Chicago in 2001 and even though I'm not from there originally, it is home for me. My in-laws are there, my closest friends are there and I do reminisce about kind of like the good old days of, you know, living in the Gold Coast and going to Mondeli's Lounge or Ashkenazi Deli or if you, that might not be a reference for anyone listening, but I hope there's one person listening who remembers these awesome places that are of a time gone by and, you know, I think that what's happening in Nashville is what I saw happen in Chicago over the years, which is there used to be a lot of little places that had a lot of character and those places go away as developers and money and, you know, kind of, it does take some of the charm out of it.

10:38It's community to me because standing in the line at Arnold's is where you talk to the person in front of you and you talk to the person behind you and you see people that you know and that's where you catch up. It's not seeing them on Facebook, it's standing in that line at Arnold's and seeing, hey, Bob, what's going on, man? Hey, how you been and how's your wife and kids? It's that seeing people in your community face to face and breaking bread together and it's places like Arnold's that create community. It's the time that you're there, it feels warm, you see people, you connect with your neighbors and that brings about kindness. When you see somebody, somebody's face and you go, hey, good to see you, how's your wife? It's a friendly thing that makes the rest of your day a little bit better because you had a warm connection with somebody at a diner, at a place and that's now gonna be gone for everybody in that community. You know who does a really great job of that now that it seems like is here to stay is Jim Myers at Elliston Place Soda Shop.

11:40You know that they fortunately redid it and updated it and you know. That is an amazing place and Craig Clift over there and Jim, I don't know what Jim's doing over there anymore but that's always his role. His role was to create community. It's such a great place. I think that that's a great example of taking a place that's been classic and kind of charming for such a long time and instead of saying, hey, we're gonna tear it down and build whatever, build another Marriott, they redid it and they updated it and they kept it fresh. They sure did, especially on a neighborhood that needs that so bad. Totally, totally. I hate that. There's just stuff leaving. Stuff's leaving. Do you know if, well, I'm deciding what the name of the place is I'm talking about. We're gonna talk real quick about insurance. 2023 is right around the corner and you need health insurance and if you need health insurance, you need to contact my friend, Dan Marr.

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13:51Matthew Clements is just an amazing guy. You probably just heard Matthew on our episode with Brandon's Book Club and they can completely set you up with everything you need for your restaurant. Make sure you're using somebody local. We're gonna talk a lot in this episode about locally owned and operated businesses and how to protect them. You can call Matthew today, 863-409-9372. And again, if you just, all you gotta do is call Matthew, get a quote, whatever you wanna do and that will enter you in for our contest also. Four tickets to a Preds game, good seats. We wanna send you to a Preds game in style this year. Insurance is vital. It's really something that you can't put a price tag on, but you need it today. Let's jump back in this episode. Why can't I think of the name of the music venue over there? Exit In. Exit In, thank you. Are they staying? Is somebody by that? Is that gonna be a continued thing? I don't know if they're gonna keep it a venue or not. I'm sure that the information's out there. I just personally don't know off the top of my head. Another thing, that's another part of Nashville on their marquees is Nashville Soul is for sale.

14:56And I can't agree more. Like, it's kind of like, so go support the places. You've got a few weeks with Arnold's. One week. Just one week. I think they're open this week, Tuesday through Saturday, and then they're done. Get over there, guys. Get over there. This is the last week for Arnold's Country Kitchen. Bummer. Yeah, hopefully when we get Khalil and Rosen here to kind of talk about what the memories they've had and. That'd be great. I saw my first ever Nashville celebrity at Arnold's. Now, it's not a celebrity celebrity, but it's a Nashville celebrity. Like Snooki or something? Oh no, that's a real celebrity to me. Blair Durham. Blair Durham of Bart Durham family fame. So as you know, when you move to Nashville and you see a Bart Durham commercial, you're like, what am I looking at here? And then I saw him at Arnold's and I was thrilled. I've seen him there actually quite a few times. I think he's a big regular. If you know who I got to meet. Another, again, I think a Nashville celebrity for me is last night.

16:00Okay. Who you got? Dr. Alex Jahunger. Jahunger. Jahunger. Yeah. You know who he is. Of course I do. You a fan? Absolutely. I am too, right? So his daughters were, he's there with his family and they're playing Battleship. They have these little, and they're playing, my kids got the exact same thing for Christmas. So I walk up and I start talking to him. Could not be a nicer person. Like the whole family was like, they were the nicest people I think I've ever met. And then towards the end I go, are you? I go, I don't, you look like the, are you doctor? And he kind of was like smiled and sheepishly put his head down. His wife was like, oh God, like rolled her eyes. And I was like, are you Dr. Alex Jahunger? I don't know. And he's like, yes, I am. And I go, oh my gosh. Like I am so impressed by you. Yeah, he's, I have a friend who's a colleague of his. And I actually, I feel like I crossed paths with him.

17:03I did some volunteering with the health department after I got my vaccine. Cause I was able to get a leftover dose. I got vaccinated very early. And he was always around and just had a nice energy. I told him, I said, he kind of was like, are you one of the people that doesn't like me? I could tell there was like- I mean this poor guy bless his heart. Can you imagine the crazy things that like awful people have said to him? I said, no, I used you as an example of leadership. I go of everything I do in these companies and I have 150 employees. I go, you were tasked to be our COVID task force, like the leader. You advised our mayor on what to do in March of 2020. Like you led our city through a pandemic when we've never had a pandemic before. Like the level of leadership and what you went through through this was inspiring. Like I don't, right decisions, wrong decisions.

18:05That's not what I'm debating right now. I think the guy was brilliant, but like the ability to do that and step up in that role when called upon. I mean, I was like, dude, you're a hero of mine. Like, and I go, you should write a book. And he goes, I did, I did write a book. And so he wrote a book. Okay. And I'm gonna, I wanna plug it because I'm gonna potentially make this our next Nashville or the Nashville Brandon's book club selection. And he said he would come on, come in studio with us if we did that. Oh, that's cool. And he would talk about it, like with us, like do the whole thing, which I thought was pretty darn cool. It's called Hotspot, a doctor's diary from the pandemic. Oh God. And you can get it on Amazon or they have it. He sent me from Parnassus books. That's awesome. Gave me his contact and I said, Hey, call me when you do it. Oh, that's so interesting. So I love to chat with them. That's cool. So I'm gonna read the book. It's called Hotspot. Dr. Alex Jahunger.

19:06Yeah, Jahunger. I'm gonna figure that out. Exactly how to say it the right way. Hotspot, doctor's diary from the pandemic. So all of his notes every day. Oh, that's very interesting. After doing all this stuff, he put it into a book. And I'm like, yes. That's very interesting. So look forward to that. After we read Will Gadara's Unreasonable Hospitality and we talk about that, this one will be one that's a local book selection. Local celeb. We'll bring him in. Maybe we'll do a Blur Terms book after that. Does he have a book? No, I just made that up. I don't know, maybe. How to chase ambulances. Have a fast car. So, you know, kind of on the heels of this conversation about Arnold's and what's happening in Nashville, you know, I wanted to ask, do you feel like, because I was kind of looking at like, oh, what are the new restaurants that are opening? Like the anticipated openings of next year. Do you think there's too many restaurants in Nashville? Is that a stupid question? No. Do you think, you don't think that the market's getting saturated?

20:11And I'll be honest with you. I don't really have a strong opinion on this one way or another. I've always been on the rising tides, rises all ships. High tides. Whatever. Raise all ships? Rising tides raises all the ships. The high tides, the same thing. Okay. The tides are going up, the ships are raising at the same time. Got it, got it, got it. Is that the right thing? Yeah, sure. Whatever. I knew what you meant, we knew what you meant. Sure. But I think at some point, when you're the it city, people with way deeper pockets can come in. What I am a big fan of through this show, is I don't think you can have enough locally owned and operated restaurants. I think that locally owned and operated restaurants are the backbone to community, right? What you do at Nicky's is special. Thanks. You and Tony own your concept.

21:13You care about your community. You're doing themes that encourage inclusion and you care, you absolutely care about your neighbors. You're giving back. You do all of the things that are magical when it comes to this industry. What we do at our restaurants is, I feel like we try and do the exact same thing. When you have a company that has a thousand restaurants and they have a corporate office in Houston with a team of people that are negotiating deals and they buy a really important piece of land and they put some Applebee's, the Walker Hayes Applebee's Honky Tonk, I don't like that. I don't like big chain restaurants that come in. I don't like the Cheesecake Factory. I don't like that shit. Don't go to the Cheesecake Factory. Now, wait, hold on. I do have to ask this though, because I do love cheese. Not being a native Nashvilleian, don't you feel like the Cheesecake Factory in Green Hills is kind of an iconic restaurant in Nashville?

22:25No. Okay. I don't. It's an iconic, it's a big restaurant. A lot of people have eaten there. It's a factory. It is a factory. It's a Cheesecake Factory. No shit, dude. It's in the name. Okay, so Tony told me this story about, there's this famous story about a former Titans player who back in the day lost his fortune spending exorbitant amounts of money at the Cheesecake Factory, because this is a time- Who, Vince Young? Maybe. Yeah, but time before Nashville was popping off, and so if you're an athlete here and you have tons of money to spend, but there's not a lot of high-end places to spend all your money, he would just go to the Cheesecake Factory every night, rolling 20 deep and buying puddles and cheesecakes. I don't know, I guess. I thought it was a hilarious story. The most ignorant thing I've ever heard of my entire life. I think it's great. I think it's hilarious. I mean, look, if you're an athlete and you've got money to spend, and it's like Nashville 20 years ago, where are you gonna go?

23:28I think the Palm is iconic. Okay. The Palm is a national chain, I think is iconic in Nashville. Okay, because it's always been on Broadway and- It's right there. It's where you go before a game. It's a very power-meeting place, but when you go there, they make a caricature of you on the wall. Have you been to the Palm? Yes, I have. So there's all the caricatures on the wall of local people who go there. Okay, sure. They support the local there. I feel like they've tapped into the local brand of Nashville and they're as much of Nashville as anything. I mean, Brick Tops for all intents and purposes, the first location was here in town. I love Brick Tops. I love Brick Tops. Jay Alexander's, same kind of a thing. But- And I also, I feel like when I moved to Nashville, people were Jay Alexander's gaga cuckoo. Everybody's like, Jay Alexander's, Jay Alexander's. And that's not a brand I've ever lived in a town previous to moving here, that had a Jay Alexander's.

24:31But people were nuts about it. They're based here. They started here. And I mean, I love Jay Alexander's. Lonnie Stout is the guy who lives here. They cared about the local community. I feel like if there was more grants for people to open restaurants here in town, local people, even if it's a chef who comes here and moves here and opens his own restaurant, whatever it might be, I don't even care if you're a carpet bagger, right? So you're just coming to town. Carpet bagger. Well, it's a thing. Hey, look, Nashville's the hot place. I'm gonna come up in a restaurant here. But if you're a big national brand and you're buying some really big space and you have tons of money, I think that that's, I don't think those are healthy. I think that's a money grab because you're taking advantage of a market. So we have a couple of places that I think are gonna be really big openings coming next year. And I'll be honest, I personally am excited for them. What do you got? But they would maybe fall into this category that you're describing. One is Pastis from New York is opening in Wedgwood, Houston.

25:32They're opening their classic French bistro, which I'm so excited about because honestly, we don't have that like super, super traditional kind of, almost kind of cookie cutter French bistro here. What about Once Upon a Time in France? That's a little different, I suppose. I guess you're right. That is, but it's still not like, I don't know. I guess I'm thinking more in terms of like a Le Diplomat in DC. Like that's the type of restaurant. Like before they closed, La Salle was my favorite restaurant in town. I guess I'm thinking for a little more of that like fancy French bistro vibe. I think that fills a void. I'm very excited for Pastis. That's probably- So I'm okay with that. Okay, so the other one is- That's a high end bringing value to the community. Okay, the other one is Momotaro. Boca Group out of Chicago is bringing their high end sushi brand Momotaro to Nashville. I mean, that to me falls in the line of, you know, there's some great sushi restaurants in Nashville.

26:38I don't know. I think that takes away from market share. Okay. But I mean, good for us. Okay, how do you feel about Land and Sea based out of Chicago? They own Parsons and a bunch of other brands that owns Diceys in Wedgwood, Houston. I don't have an opinion. Okay. I don't know, I've never been there. I don't know. I think I need to go to the place and, you know, I need to see what they're doing. I mean, there's so many, I think companies' intentions and core values and what they're doing and how they're operating and what they're doing for the community. Like I said, it's about that Arnold's thing. It's that standing in line and genuine hospitality. Anybody can come in, if you're creating genuine hospitality and it's a, we care about our community and we wanna make Nashville better and we wanna give back and we wanna create. You know, when you think about 8th Avenue up there, like, can you think about what the hot chicken place? Patty B's? No, no, no, no. The one that was right next to Arnold's.

27:39I'm trying to think of Partyfowl. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like Austin, it's a local guy. Did Partyfowl, that's his first location. Like, and they made that corner. They're moving across the street. Yes, I'm glad they're moving into that space. I think that that's a huge space that's always maybe struggled to find the right fit, it seems. Well, they, you know, he gives back to the local community. He's the, I've played on his softball league for years, his restaurant softball league. I mean, Salt of the Earth, great guy. Nick Jacobs, who's also his partner, who owns 360 Bistro in Belle Meade, similar deal. Like, those guys are crushing it. Arnold's, like, that little corner, like, that's where community is made. And I... I mean, I worked at Flight for many years when I first moved here, so I know that corner quite well. Jackalope's original location is right there. Those are amazing local places that I just love. So, I'm gonna put you on the spot. Let's go. Do you have a hot take? Is there a place that you feel like, is that, like, cash grab, we don't care, we're just coming to Nashville brand that you're like, that's not it?

28:48And maybe you're not comfortable calling that out or you don't feel right about that, but I just, I have to ask. No, I think I go back to my interview with Kerry Bringle where we talked about large hotels and these luxury brands that are coming to town, which I know in the infrastructure for Nashville, we need those things. If we ever wanna host a Super Bowl and there's this natural growth that Nashville has to have, and I think they bring along with them, like, we just had dinner at MIMO at Four Seasons the other day, and Chef Nello came in here, and it was amazing. But that's kind of the thing that's like, I mean, it's. Well, I mean, you know, the Grand Hyatt has Sean Brock as a chef. The Joseph is a very high-end brand. They have the Montuanos who moved from Italy to Nashville and are super invested in the community here. 100%. Like, I love them. Like, and I've talked about Yolan 100 times on this show because that's a different thing. They wanted to be very intentional with finding people that wanted to invest in the community and create community.

29:51I do have a brand, I'm not gonna say who, but there is a brand that came to town a few years ago, and I think, actually I have two in particular in mind that I think came to town and thought, I'm from a larger market. I'm gonna sling some food to these dumb Southerners that is food that dumb Southerners like to eat, and they are going to just love it. And I, you know, I don't know how that worked out for some of them. Before I go ahead and name names of people here in town, I'm about to, I need to tell you about Gordon Food Service. Guys, going into 2023, it is vital, again, on top of insurance that you have a food company that is taking care of you, that partners with you. If you're still buying from three different broadliners, you need to stop, you're leaving money on the table. We're gonna talk more about locally owned and operated restaurants and how much you should be charging, but Gordon Food Service is a company that will help you understand your business, that will work tirelessly to help you succeed.

30:57And right now, I think we need that more than ever. Paul Hunter, that's your guy. That's the guy that you need to be calling right now. Let me tell you his number. It's 615-945-6753. He can help navigate through everything that you're working on right now and come up with a custom plan to help you succeed in the new year. They have been an amazing sponsor for the show. They're good friends of mine. They live their core values. They're an amazing, amazing company. I wanna say a special thank you to them for everything they do for us. We just appreciate Gordon Food Service so much. If you want to start the new year off with a new Broadline company and really partner with somebody, this is who you need to be talking to. Message me. I can help you with the introductions, but let's get this thing going in 2023. I thought Jonathan Waxman, when Jonathan Waxman opened Adele's, I thought that was a, that was cool that we had a celebrity chef that wanted to come to town, but I've never seen that dude here. I've never seen him in anything.

31:57I saw him at Robert's once, actually. But I'm saying I don't hear about him being part of this community. I hear about Tony doing things in town all the time. Chef Max at the convention center came from the candy center in New York. He's doing stuff for the community. And Jonathan Waxman was like, Adele's by Jonathan Waxman. Like, where is he? And I saw him one time when they first opened, but like, it's a name. I'm gonna do a cash grab for Nashville. I'm gonna put my name on a restaurant in Nashville and it's part of Red Pebbles hospitality. And we can, we're gonna have the CEO of that company come in and that's 404 Kitchen, Gertie's Bar, and Emmy Squared. I mean, that's all a part of it. And I don't know how involved he is or any of that stuff. Another great example of the opposite of that is Chauhan's, right? So Manit, who's chopped and does all of these things is really invested in the company. Food Network Champion. Food Network Champion, I think she is completely invested in the community.

32:58Absolutely, one million percent. She's amazing. I don't hear about Jon, I hear about Manit all the time and what she's doing for the community and how she's involved in everything. And she's so, so incredibly supportive of other local operators. She really uses her platform to elevate other people in a great way. I feel like it's a bit gossipy, but like that's one name you wanna call out. What are we here for? Aren't we here to gossip? I hear people talk about like bourbon steak. I've never been. I have a terrible fear of heights. But like, that's a cash grab to me. That's a national brand and then they put it at the top of the JW Marriott and it's bourbon steak. It's a high-end place to go like, go eat at King Prime. Go eat somewhere that is a locally-owned operator. There are some places that I do love to go and have that and I apologize. Maybe it's because I lived in Chicago for a long time and I love Nashville so much. I've been here for over 10 years. This is home for me.

33:58But I do occasionally have that feeling of like, I want that experience where I'm like, oh, wow, this doesn't feel like Nashville. It feels like New York. It feels like Chicago, something like that. Tony and I really like to go to Carne Mare and sit at the bar and have a drink and a bite, you know? And that is one of those kind of, you know, it's, you know, Andrew Carmelini is the kind of figurehead chef behind it. I genuinely have no idea how much he's either there or not there. I just, I don't know. But I think it's a great restaurant and we love to go and feel fancy and... Restoration Hardware. I love to go to lunch at Rest... That's actually on Tony's birthday. We went and had lunch at Restoration Hardware because I just, I like to feel fancy sometimes. I love it. That's a thing. Yeah. And where else do you sit on like $3,000 couches while you eat lunch? Yeah, certainly not at my house. So is it more about the escape for you? I think so. Yeah, I just like that. Yes, maybe it is.

34:59I guess I've never thought about that way, but maybe it is about the escape. I want to feel like I'm away from Nashville where I'm working all the time for a couple of hours. I completely understand that. You know? I would, I almost like, I want to create a list that's like, you know, in our cocktail menu at Mirabell, we have like these seven classic cocktails and it's like the Cosmopolitan, the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, the Margarita. And then it's, there's like an arrow that draws a side that's like, if you like this, you'd also like this. Do you know what I mean? Like I tried the, and yeah, it's a little different than what you're used to, but it's a stepping stone for people to step outside of their comfort zone. We should make, I want to make like a list that's like, if you like Restoration Hardware, you'd love a piece. Or you'd love- Oh, that's a good idea. And like, these are the big chain restaurants. And then if you like these chain restaurants, try this local equivalent that might make you feel the same way, but you're supporting a local company where people own homes here in town and are supporting the community and have kids that go to local schools.

36:05I love this idea. I think we should do like a, why don't we do like a top five countdown? All right, I'm in. For like the next episode of the Roundup. All right. And you and I will each take a few and we'll say here's my pick for if you like this. If you like the Cheesecake Factory, go to Amerigo or you know, we'll find a big cavernous restaurant that's owned by a local somehow. I don't know. Well, okay, so with so many restaurants here in town this year and more coming next year, what's the place that opened this year that you did not get a chance to go to that you wanted to check out? I would have to see a list. Okay, nothing off the top of your head. For me, it is actually another import, I'm sorry to say. It's okay. But I did not get a chance yet to go to Halls on West End. And even though it's an import from Charleston, I know that many members of the Hall family who run the business have moved here to Nashville.

37:10And I absolutely love Halls in Charleston. The guy who owns it is at the door shaking hands, handing out Prosecco, greeting every guest. I mean just over the top, phenomenal hospitality. The food is delicious. The vibes are just like, I think it's one of the best steak houses in the world. It's amazing. So I'm really dying to check out the one here. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I would have to say the Continental for me. You gotta go. I know. It's so great. I wanna do like the late night burger thing or the, what is it? They do like a prime rib sandwich. Yeah, like I wanna do that. But I did Audrey and I did a lot of the, I went to I think most of the places that I really wanted to go. That you wanted to go? I will tell you that my best meal of the year, probably most surprising, and I don't wanna say that because I don't think that's the fair thing to say. We randomly went to Lyra in East Nashville.

38:12The, her aunt and I can't think of his wife's name right now, but they, that meal was so out of this world. Nice. Good, great, grand, hospitable, beautiful, wonderful. Like that meal at Lyra, like I dream of it. Like it was so good. I love that. You know who I've been feeling that way about? So here's a place that I didn't think I was gonna get to try this year, but two weeks ago I got it in under the wire on a whim is Eastside Pho. And I am absolutely obsessed. I cannot quit thinking about it. Really? I, oh my God. I do that at Eastside Bon Me. It is so good. Listen, I love Eastside Bon Me. I've been there many times. I just, I was in the mood for a curry and they at Eastside Pho have a yellow curry with like the fat rice noodles. I cannot quit thinking about this curry.

39:13I am so obsessed with it. They also have these little, they're not Shumai, but they're similar to like a Shumai dumpling that has like a chili crisp with shrimp and pork. And it's definitely in the vein of Eastside Bon Me, but different enough. Oh my gosh, it's incredible. When we're done here, I'm gonna go to the wash and I'm going to order that. I'm so jealous. I'm gonna take it home to my wife and surprise her. And be like, hey, look, I went to Eastside Pho. That's so nice. Caroline, you have inspired. Do you want to bring me some of tonight's? Yeah, you can come with me if you want. I think that my favorite restaurant of the year, I think I'm gonna have to say is probably Eastside Bon Me. Nice. Well, and actually I was gonna- I've eaten there the most, I think. I was gonna ask you too, where do you think you ate the most this year? And my guess was that was gonna be it for you. That's it. You know what? Chad and Gracie are amazing. Emma, you walk in, it's just the whole team there.

40:13You walk in and they're just, there's a good energy in that building and it just makes me feel warm and happy. And then when you eat the food, it's like the, there's like this moment that is just so damn good. And they put the fried egg bon me on the menu, which is my favorite one. Nice. Have you been yet to, is it Shaobao Bistro? No. I haven't either, I'm dying to go there. No, I have not. It looks incredible. We went to an opening for the Gully Boys. Oh, we did. You and I did. I thought that was great. It was really a neat concept. I would love to have those guys in here too. We're going to. We are. We're gonna have them in here. Sweet. Brandon does all the scheduling around here. I'm just along for the ride. I'm not doing a very good job of it. I'm excited. I've missed this so bad, by the way. Just wrapping, just chatting it out. It's good to take a break. It's good to step back. Every once in a while in the month of December, we kind of step back.

41:15We talked about our advertisers. We've done this contest, which by the way, we're still doing the contest. If you are out there and you contacting different advertisers, if you call them, get a demo, whatever you want to learn about them, you'll be entered in our contest. We're giving away six tickets to a Fred's game, a four-ticket pack and a two-ticket pack, and just lots of fun stuff. We'll be drawing that January 15th. Ooh, exciting. Yes, going into that. I think the Monday the 16th will announce the winner, and yeah, I think I've just, this is therapy for me. I was talking to Steven the other day who owns our restaurants, and I said, I think the podcast is my therapy because I have been missing it, and I feel lost, and I've just been so busy, and it's been great to reconnect in the restaurants. I've been in the restaurants so much, and it's been so fun. Same. But I almost, there's like this, when I get in this studio and we start talking or we bring a guest in and I hear their perspectives, I'm able to like synergize with them and go, oh, I'm not crazy, because I'm thinking about all these ideas, and you kind of say, hey guys, what do you think about this?

42:25And it's like, no, that's dumb, that's change, nobody likes change, and you're trying to lead people through stuff, you talk to the leaders. I think it's really been healthy for me to have these conversations. It's good to get those thoughts out, it's a nice outlet. It really is, and I've missed this. I miss just sitting in a studio and talking. Just shooting the breeze. Yeah, my wife. Our hot takes. My wife told me the other day, she goes, I really enjoy listening to the podcast. She's like, you know what's amazing to me? How engaged you are. Because I'm all ADD, like crazy. Well, you know what, Brandon, I will actually give you that same feedback, because that is something that, I think it is so true about you. There's something that happens when you turn, when you hit that record button, something changes with you, because to like have a conversation with you off the air, is, it is a little like different, like there's a different cadence to it. There's a different rhythm to it.

43:26But I don't know, so you can just get like hyper-focused. Well, I like it, because you get these headphones on, and you get a microphone in a quiet room, lights on you, and I can hear my own voice. I can't hear, it blocks out. It's like a horse with blinders on, you know? I think sometimes, it's like you, like there's too many distractions for you, outside of recording. It is, there's a, and that's what I'm saying. This is therapy, like I need sometimes to just stop and go. What about, am I the same on the air and off the air? No, I don't think you are. Am I the same way I'm less all over the place? I don't know, I can't tell you the difference. I think that when we have a focused conversation, we can jump, when we talk outside of here, we talk for an hour and a half, because we talk about 42 different things. We're both completely ADD. We started this conversation with, what new restaurants did you not get to go to? And here we are, 20 minutes later.

44:27Talking about, who knows? What are we even talking about right now? That's it, that's what this show does. Sorry to all the listeners out there who are like, what the fuck are they doing? Like, that's the roundup for you. Let's move on to our next topic. Do you have another topic? I do, so I have a question for y'all. Okay, good, I like these. Do you respond to Google and Yelp reviews, like as the manager, owner, whatever response? No. Never. I don't. Oh, okay, does someone in your organization? We reply to every single review, good or bad, good, bad, or ugly. Okay. I think it's important if somebody's taking the time to go and give you feedback about your business, I think it's important to let them know that you saw it, and that you appreciate it. So, I used to never, okay, well actually that's not true. When we first opened, I used to respond to any negative ones, right? And I would just do the, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, blah, blah, blah, you know, this and that.

45:30Then I got to a point where I was like, I'm not responding to any reviews, because if somebody, unless it was just like something crazy egregious, like there was a rat on my plate, which of course that never happened, but I just quit responding, because I'm like, it's too much negativity, it stresses me out too much, and I don't really care, and if somebody thinks that they're an amateur food critic and they need to, you know, whatever, I need to let that go out of my life. So, I agree with that statement. Just recently, within the last couple of weeks, I have decided that my new thing for the new year is I am gonna respond to every single Google review. I'm not responding to Yelp reviews. Why? It's too much work, I've got too much to do. But, I just got too much to do. I think that the bigger story here is this is an anti-Yelp thing. Oh, no, no, no, it's not an anti-Yelp thing. I just- Is it easier to reply to Google reviews? It's easier to reply to Google reviews because I get emailed every time we get one. I don't, like, Yelp reviews, I have to log on, and I have to search for them and the whole thing.

46:32And we also get way more Google reviews than Yelp reviews. So, and I feel like that's really more of a go-to for people nowadays than Yelp. So, I've decided that I'm responding to every Google review. How's that going? She's like, I'm drinking a lot? No, I like to respond, I like to respond to the nice ones, of course. Thank you so much, we love you being a great customer. It's like a very feel-good thing. I've also gotten a couple of really nice ones that called out specific team members for doing a great job, which I love. Love the shout-outs. I've gotten a couple that, okay, I got one in particular. Oh, let's go, can we talk about it? Yes. Can you read it? Yeah, I let somebody have it. Did you? I kinda did. Oh, Caroline. And I texted a few friends, and I was like, should I respond to this, should I just let it go? Let's break it down right now.

47:34I just couldn't help myself, I had, I just, I had to respond to it. Okay, hold on, let me find it. I am so excited right now. Are you really? Yeah, so I don't, I try not to read the reviews. If there's like a really bad, egregious one, then I do, over Thanksgiving, I wanted to read the feedback based upon our dinner we had at Maripoll, because it was pricey, and you know, this is a whole thing. I wanted to just kinda get feedback. I wanted to see what the general public was thinking about it. But we have a company that works directly with us. It's a Christine Miles is her, is the marketing company. Her name is Christine Miles. And she used to be the vice president of marketing for Jay Alexander's. Nice. For 24 years. And they, when they, Jay Alexander's got bought, they let the entire executive leadership team go, and she started her own thing, and she worked with Core, and now she works with us. And she is, first of all, an amazing human being, and second of all, she is awesome.

48:38But she goes through in every single review, we want, if somebody's taking the time to go online and make a review, we want them to get a, hey, thanks for the five stars, or, so happy you enjoyed your time. And listen, from day one, I've never been that person who's like, well, if somebody didn't like it, then that's their problem, and you know, they're stupid, and they don't know what they're talking about, and this and that. It's a grind, though. Listen, it is, if somebody is coming into my business, and they didn't have a great experience, that is my customer. Whether I agree or disagree with them, that's my customer, and I'd be a fool if I didn't take their feedback into account, if I didn't take some piece of what they said and listen to it and try to grow from it. I just, it is too much of a grind, because here's the thing, I'm saying, well, I'm gonna respond to every review. Well, in addition to responding to every review, I also have like 8,000 emails in my inbox, and my manager texted me, hey, here's the thing that we need for service tonight, and then Tony's asking me to don't forget to do this in the, you know what I mean?

49:42I have too many things to do, is really what it is. You know where reviews got fucked up, is when Yelp put underneath the review that you could like the review, found it useful, or when you found it funny. I have a big story about that, that I am gonna save for another time. But we're gonna put a pin in that, because I have a big story about Yelp and their algorithm and review lighting. When they started the idea that your review can be funny, then it becomes an entertainment medium. Because now people go, ooh, I want that dopamine hit where the people think that my review is funny. And now I make fun of it because we do the reviews, you know, how people are reading one-star reviews that are just terrible. Okay, wait, this is a total sidebar, but when I first moved to Nashville, there was a guy who pretended to be Sammy Kershaw that wrote Yelp reviews of local businesses.

50:43Do you know about this? No. Oh my God, it was hilarious. But what I'm talking about is people's dreams. It's you and Tony, who are a married couple, who put your very real money on betting, putting all your chips into this thing, and you're out there every day hustling, you carry doing other things. For somebody to go on there and to satirize it is one thing, but to make a review where they, like the Walmart, you know, in the middle of a pandemic where somebody is going, they're going, your charcuterie board, I could have, you know, done so much better at Walmart with this and this, like that stuff is not needed. Then saying the baked waiter was this and this, like that's somebody who's clearly just, I'm here to be a disruptor and I'm being an asshole. And that's where I draws, like, I think there's a need for this. I think there's a need for reviews for the general public because there's some really good stuff that can be put out there. It's just not managed and it gets out of control.

51:44Right. So let's go to your Google review. Okay. We'll put a pin in the Yelp thing. I'm trying to get the Yelp. All right, well, now I'm. I've been trying to get the Yelp community manager to come on this show for three years. Now I'm starting to second. And they've said yes and now it's no. Now I'm starting to second guess if I should read this or not. And let me tell you the reason why is because here's the thing. You are always very kind in the way that you speak about my restaurant and about Tony and myself and, you know, saying that we're engaged in the community. And that's true. We are very engaged in the community. But that's not something that we do because I want to shine a light on it or because I want a pat on the back for it or because I want a humble brag or anything like that. I really feel very strongly about doing nice things for people that no one ever knows about. That's something that's very, always been very important to me. I don't want to do something so somebody knows that I did something. You guys have amazing hearts.

52:45Do you know what I'm saying? Well, thank you. I know that. I appreciate it, but that's not. Why? I want it to come from a genuine place where, you know, I do it just to be nice, not because I need somebody else to know about it, to feed my ego. And I, so I don't. That's why I talk about it. So, well, thank you. It's apparent to me. I don't want my response to this review. It's out there, right? Yeah. Anybody can read it? Anybody can read it. But now I'm like really putting a spotlight on it. Well, let's do it. Okay. All right. So someone came in and said, dinner for one, including a pizza, a beer and a shot cost $52 with tip. A pizza, a beer and a shot. So they're lonely. Well, I wouldn't say that. Okay. I'm just talking shit. I'm sorry. Now I'm starting to second guess this. Come on, come on, come on. Because I feel like I'm putting somebody on blast. And maybe that's not a nice thing to do. Don't they put you on blast? Let's go. All right. They said, which I, listen, $52, that's not a price that's accessible for everyone.

53:47I get that. That's fine. While we are in the middle of this review, I'm going to tell you about Super Source. Jason Ellis has been a sponsor of the show since almost day one. And this guy is not only a sponsor, he's a friend of mine and he is a partner with us in both of our restaurants. And he's doing amazing things. Jason Ellis from Super Source, if you're Dish, Machine and Chemical Company, if you don't know who the person is that you need to talk to over there, at your personal company, you need to call Jason. His number is 770-337-1143. And he will come in and do an audit of everything that you're doing. Let you know if you've got a good deal. Let you know if your gauges on your machines are set to hide or using too many chemicals, he wants to do the right thing, whether he works with you or not. And that is the true test of somebody who wants to help your business succeed. We're going into crazy times and in 2023, you need to be working with people that care about your business. That is what Super Source does. He's an amazing guy and we are honored to call him a sponsor.

54:49Also today, we want to talk about Sharpies Bakery. If you've always wanted to buy fresh bread and you've wanted to have a fresh bread program, today's your day. Erin Mosso over at Sharpies Bakery is delivering six days and then doing it for 37 years. They're a locally owned and operated bakery. She took it over from her father when he passed away and she's doing a heck of a job. She's an amazing person who supports our locally owned and operated restaurant community and she can help you put together a first class bread program. Stop buying frozen bread, start using fresh bread delivered daily. I use it at both my restaurants. We love them, they're the best. Give her a call. 615-319-6453 is Sharpies Bakery. We've had this conversation. We've had this conversation. This person said, the impression I'm getting is that their goal is to take as much from the community around them of people moving to Nashville as possible. I can imagine the argument would be that the pizza ought to serve two people, but for a flat pizza, that's simply not feasible.

55:51I would recommend spending your money somewhere where they aren't robbing you. So the phrase that was really the tipping point for me of being like, I can't let this go, is that this person said, the impression I'm getting is that their goal is to take as much from the community around them as possible. And I'm just like, I just couldn't take it. I don't blame you because that's not your goal. So I wrote a lengthy response. Oh, I can't wait. Come on. Are you sure you really wanna hear this? I do. And every single person in their car or on a walk right now is like, fucking do it. Okay. I said, hello. I'm sorry to hear that Nicky's wasn't a good fit for you. I can certainly appreciate if our price didn't feel like a good value. I am not sure, however, what gave you the impression that our goal is to take from our community. If you took the time to learn a little bit about our business and our history in our community, you would find that quite the opposite is true.

56:55And I find that assessment quite unfair and insulting. We price our menu first and foremost to ensure that we are able to stay in business. We are a mom and pop and we don't have the resources some larger businesses do that allow them to be more value-driven. Besides the astronomical price increase of wholesale goods over the last year, all of our employees are paid a living wage and have access to a healthcare plan and paid time off. And that also goes into our prices. One of our core values is not just to be a business, but a member of our community. We are actively engaged in our community on a regular basis. And while we don't necessarily like to shine a spotlight on the ways we work behind the scenes, I'd like to highlight a few of those for you. I'm not gonna read this whole part, but I kind of go into a greatest hits of recent years of some nice things that I think we have done for our community. And then I end it by saying, not everyone will enjoy our restaurant and that is fine, such as life. And we are lucky to be a part of Nashville's vibrant community of restaurants that offer options for everyone. Thank you for giving us a try and we hope your next stunning experience is a more positive one.

57:58So, why does that get under my skin so much? Why did that rub me there? Why can't I let everything go, but I can't let go that this person was like, that my impression is that their goal is to take as much from the community around them as possible. I'm just like, how dare you, sir? How dare you? I think more people need to be as brave as you and charge the appropriate amount. Well, no, it's not a bravery, it's a survival. Well, so many people are afraid to get that review. Oh. They're afraid to get the review. I'm afraid to close. I need to charge more. So, I mean, that's the thing. So many people are afraid to actually charge the amount that you need to charge to stay in business.

59:01They're afraid that people are gonna leave reviews like that. They're gonna accuse them of robbing their neighborhoods. But I also don't feel like for a whole pizza, a beer, a shot and a tip. What are you shooting? $52. I got McAllen, I got Whistle Pig, the Boss Hog. It's like $100 an ounce. Well, I don't have that, but I feel like an average shot with us is probably like 10 bucks, 12 bucks. I got a guy who bought a $354, four ounce glass of whiskey the other day. Jeez. It's all relative, right? It's all relative. I don't know what you're shooting. You could say a shot, like, was it a shot at Jack? Was it a shot at Woodford? Was it a shot of Pappy? I don't know what you ordered. I don't know what beers are. Beers are eight to 10 bucks. A pizza's 20, 30. Look, it's a Kraft pizza with Kraft ingredients in a prime location. Fuck you. And listen, I'm also not that person though that like, I think that, and I think that this goes both ways.

01:00:02I think that it's something we have to understand as operators, but also something people should think about when they're leaving a review for a place is the realization that just not every place is going to be for you. You know, there's some restaurants in town that people absolutely love. I don't get it. I don't think it's so great, but I also am not gonna rag on that place because I don't like it, because obviously a lot of people really love it. It's just not for me. And that's okay. It's okay for something to not be for you. But I'll bet you if you looked at, I would love to look at this guy's profile and see where else he is loved. But that dude loves the Cheesecake Factory. You know what I mean? Like that guy loves the Cheesecake Factory and he's like, oh, their cheesecake is the best. I love supporting them. Like, stop. Spend the money at a place like Nicky's. Well, this person wrote a five-star review of PunkWalk. So, you know, they do like local restaurants. I don't know. Maybe they were just having a bad day, whatever.

01:01:02I'm gonna move on to a new topic. Now I'm feeling self-conscious about bringing this up. Hey, listen, don't. Here's the thing. There's Lyle Richardson, right? He's the COO of A. Marshall Hospital. We're gonna talk to him in two weeks. You're gonna hear an interview that we did with him. One of his hypotheses is that there's gonna be a bunch of restaurants that close. Yes, that's right. Remember him say this? I do. He said, and it was more in a reference to the job market. Well, no, I think what he was talking about was he was saying, you know, there's a lot of businesses that got money, relief money during the pandemic, and have been running off of that money, but now that money's running out, and a lot of people are stuck saying, ugh, we're out of money, now what? We're out of money, now what? It's not because the business isn't there. It's because they're not charging enough. Because they're, and there's- So you think that places are still, they're running out of money because they're still charging their like 20, 20 prices. I think there's a, it is difficult to have the, this is a business, okay?

01:02:10So many people get into this business because they love people, and they have a spirit of service, and they wanna have hospitality, and that is great. But you also have to be able to run a business. It's the dark side of this thing nobody wants to talk about. And Semolina isn't cheap, and we're importing stuff from Italy, and you have an Italian restaurant, and no prices are going down. Rent is going up in Nashville, and people are upset. You get people write reviews like this, where they say, 50 dollars, this is, you're robbing the community, which elicited a visceral reaction in you. And there are people out there who cannot handle that. They have regulars who come in that love dining with them, that it's hard to explain to them that, hey, look, I gotta raise your prices 50% or 25% right now, because I have to pay my employees more. And it's not, I have to employ, but that's the job market. I have to be competitive, and to be competitive, I'm competing against these companies coming in from Chicago that have millions of dollars, who can lose money for their first three years if it puts me out of business, that increases their market share.

01:03:17That's what I'm talking about earlier today. That's what I'm talking about earlier today. We have to be supporting the restaurants that are the local restaurants, and those restaurateurs need to be doing theoreticals on their food cost, and they need to be negotiating better deals on their food, because everybody's out there trying to stay afloat. And what Lyle's saying was, there's gonna be a different job market, because when these restaurants close, all those employees are gonna flood the market, and it's gonna be an employer's market versus an employee's market real soon. And my thing is, that's fucked up, because we need these mom and pops to stay around. And mom and pops don't have the wherewithal or the stomach to take those kind of reviews, so they lower their prices, because that's their idea is, well, we'll keep our people happy, but their business is gonna close, because they can't do that. It is such a delicate kind of tightrope to walk. It is very nerve wracking to say, I don't know, I feel like you just almost have to take that leap sometimes.

01:04:21Like we are, since 2020, we've been doing $10 Tuesday. It's kind of one of the things we're probably known best for is our $10 Tuesday. All pizzas are $10 every Tuesday. I know, I love, I got that a few times during the pandemic when you brought it back, oh yes. Well, I'm sorry to say. It's gotta go. $10 Tuesday is no more. It is now. $20 Tuesday. No, it's not $20, but we are moving into $15 Tuesday, and we ran the numbers, and I want so badly to keep $10 Tuesday. I love it. It makes me so happy. I want everybody to have $10 pizzas, but here's the thing. If I keep selling $10 Tuesday pizzas, there won't be any pizzas. There's not gonna be Tuesday. So we have to go to $15 Tuesday, and it is, I can't tell you how many people I've talked to about this, because it is, oh my gosh, do you think people are still gonna come out? Will we still, are people gonna be mad? Are we gonna get bad reviews?

01:05:22What's gonna happen? You can't let that drive your business. We'll, I'll come, I'll tell you on the next round up how it's going, because we haven't actually, it'll start week after next. I think it's important you read that review. I think it's important you read, because that opened the lines of this conversation, that you need to be charging more. You're going to get pushed back. Can I talk about Dr. Alex Jahunger earlier? Like, the dude went out there and said what he had to say, because he felt like it was the best for the city, no matter what people yelled at him, but that's leadership, that's business, that's what you do. You can still create value through hospitality and the quality of your food you're doing. You don't have to just buy cheaper product, but you have to raise your prices, folks, and you have to create, go out to eat at these other restaurants, or if you are in this industry or none, and you go out to eat, don't accept free shit. Stop going in places and expecting a bartender, and this is going to be a hot take, and it's not going to, this kind of goes against the hospitality thing, but if you go to a local and operated restaurant, and the bartender gives you a drink, be like, hey, dude, put that back on my bill.

01:06:31Like, I'm not, like, I need you to be around. I want the local bar that's in my neighborhood to be here. Stop giving me free drinks. We did this event at Maribold the other day, and we had some, I invited a bunch of people to come, and I said, this is our new lounge, you got to check it out. It's all on me tonight, and I had a couple people, one of the girls who's hosting the show, Broad's on Broadway here, and her name's Lila, she's amazing, but I came in and I said, guys, enjoy, she goes, I don't want anything for free, and I said, well, I understand, but this is a promo event, like, we're doing this, it's okay, and she's like, if it's okay, I'd just rather pay. I don't want, like, I'll take free stuff from Cheesecake Factory, but I'm not gonna take. Which will never give you a free thing. Which will never give you a free thing, right? She goes, but I'm not gonna take anything free from you. I insist on paying, and there's just a side of that that's, like, so massively respectful, like, and they're like, no, really, we're willing to do this, and I'm not saying it has to be that, and listen, it's okay, but, like, we've got to be supporting each other.

01:07:33We have to go in and pay for things, and- Yeah, no, I agree. Have these conversations we're having right now. I really learned that from a good friend of mine, Don Kinnar, who owns a contracting and remediation business called Blue Chip. They're great if your house flooded from the ice storm column. But Don owns his own business, and has for many years, and when Tony and I first started doing our pop-ups, you know, he's our good friend, he's very supportive. He'd come in, and we'd always try and hook him up, and he was adamant. He said, you have to charge me. You always have to charge me, because he had been in business for himself for a long time, and he knew, and he got it. He's like, I want to support you guys, and he is, to this day, one of our biggest supporters, and a wonderful friend, but, you know, that is something that always clicked with me. I'm like, oh, here's somebody who's my really good friend, and instead of them saying, thank you for hooking me up, they are insisting on paying. That's it. So a guy coming in, going to Google, and making a review about how $52 for a beer, a shot, and a pizza- And a tip.

01:08:41And a tip- I don't think that's that much. Is included, like, that's ridiculous, when you're robbing the community. So, respectively, go fuck yourself. Like, I'm sorry- I didn't say it. But there's a side of that that's like, hey, man, just choose to go somewhere different if that's not in your price range. And I do understand that our prices are not accessible to everyone, and that is part of what's been a hard decision for me to change $10 Tuesday, because I do have people who come in on $10 Tuesday, and they're like, we love it here. Unfortunately, we can't afford to dine here on any night other than Tuesday, but we love supporting you guys, and I don't wanna alienate that customer. And I hope that we get to a time where I can lower my prices at some point. But there's inflation, and we went through a global pandemic, and we wanna pay our people a really good wage, and we want to be able to keep our lights on at our home. And if I charge you $10 for a pizza, I won't be able to continue doing that.

01:09:41And then there will be no restaurant. So people would choose you to have no restaurant, and they get the better deal. Okay, like maybe need to go dine somewhere different that has 175 restaurants that negotiated a deal to have their pizza dough made in Skokie, Illinois, and then it's shipped in frozen, and they put a disc in a pan, and they make it, and then that's what you can afford. We're making our dough fresh every day. We're rolling it out in front of you. It's going in a coal-fired oven. Coal ain't free. Like the way which- Oh my gosh, our coal price has almost doubled over the last year. We're making a scratch product with high quality ingredients that you can't get anywhere else. The price of flour is also almost double. There's a value in that, and you have to charge for that. And the fact that somebody leaving you, like my whole thing is, do it. More restaurants, if you're out there and you're wondering, like, God, he's speaking to me, do it. In the new year, raise your damn prices.

01:10:42You need to raise your prices. The more restaurants right now that raise their prices, you don't go into Kroger and complain about the milk costs. Do you think Kroger gives a shit? That's what milk costs do it. Like there's a market here for all this stuff. The restaurant industry is the only place that prints a menu for like six weeks or a year and doesn't change their prices. Meat, the price of meat changes every single day. And our vendors changes their prices. The vendors change prices all the time. Weekly. It's like, I'm so adamant against like printing like a really expensive menu because you, like we print our menu at Maribor every day. And based upon how prices are, I change our menu prices twice a week sometimes. Like I ride the markets with how much my meat costs I buy a premium upper two thirds choice CAB meat. And that price changes every day based upon the market, based upon what season we're in.

01:11:42We're like, I can't have a menu that says my filet is, I can put market price on it, but I have the price written out on there, but I print it and there's a cost associated in the menu and trees and all that stuff. But like. Trees. Well, I mean, that's a real thing, but I would really rather, I capture the market increases because I have this is what my margin needs to be to stay afloat. I'm not running a business, I have to do that. And I've trained my chef that when you, we run, I've run productivity like reports that show profitability reports on every single delivery I get, it puts in every invoice and it gives a little red arrow, a green arrow when prices spike, then he goes and adjust the menu prices accordingly. Like that's how you do it. That's how you stay in business. And sometimes the price is gonna be higher than people typically wanna pay. It's more than I wanna pay. I'd love to pay $9 a pound for prime meat and charge you $24. Hell yeah, I'd love to do that, but that's not the way the world works. Unfortunately.

01:12:42Sorry, I'll get off my soap box. No, I mean. I get excited about this stuff. You know what's interesting too? We kind of had a variety of things to talk about today, but I feel like starting with the news of Arnold's closing and kind of threading our way to this topic is it's kind of all on the same line there. That discussion of supporting local businesses and things changing. And certainly Arnold's is not closing due to lack of support, but it's kind of in that same neighborhood of topics of things just changing and evolving and not being the way that they've always been. This is our last break of the entire episode. Thank you so much for sticking with us today. Hope you're enjoying this episode of The Roundup. I wanna talk to you today about Corson Fire and Security. These guys are amazing. Again, people that I use at both of my restaurants, they're amazing people. Kevin Rose is the guy that you need to call.

01:13:44He needs to be your guy when it comes to fire and safety. He will come in and do complete staff education. So teach your staff how to use the appropriate equipment that you have in your building, make sure that you are completely up to code and he'll move very quickly. You wanna have this guy's number in your Rolodex because the second that you need it, you don't wanna have to call somebody and have to hit number one and number two, you wanna talk to a person. His number is 615-974-2932. Whether it's inspections, your hood suppression systems, fire extinguishers, security monitoring, whatever it might be, Corson is the company that you need. You need a guy, you need a guy for that. And if you don't know who you're currently using, you have to go right now and look at your fire extinguisher to see what that company is. That's your first indicator that you need to be working with somebody who you know who they are and you have a relationship with. That's what Corson will do. That's what Kevin does. He's the restaurant specialist over at Corson. He's an amazing guy and I highly recommend you give him a call to start this new year off. Hey, and also we're going to the new year.

01:14:45What are we talking about? We're talking about taxes. We're talking about taxes, we're talking about payroll, we're talking about accounting systems. That is why you need net checks. Guys, they are so important. We just love them. They're doing amazing things. You need to call Lauren Demaine. She is at 615-319-9200. If you're not happy with your payroll system and you need a company that's going to provide a value, that's also going to be really, really good. They're doing some amazing things over there. You just heard them in an episode. Her and Anna came in and did a full episode with us. Super excited to talk about net checks in 2023. Give Lauren a call and start your 2023 off. Also, any of these sponsors you call and just ask them for a bid, ask them for a demo, call them, tell them that you heard them on Nashville Restaurant Radio. You will immediately be entered into our drawing for the Preds tickets. We are going to be giving away two sets of Preds tickets to some, all you have to do is just call one of the sponsors. And if you call all of the sponsors, I'll give you a hundred bucks cash.

01:15:47So that is our contest going through January the 15th. We thank you so much for all of your support. Changing community. I'm a fan of Nashville and not just old Nashville. I love growth. I think growth is great for our city. I love being able to go to a professional hockey game. I love being able to go to, I mean, Dallas Cowboys are in town on Thursday night, nationally televised football game. Like I could have gone, it's 20 minutes from my front door. How cool is that experience I can go to? My local team, like. I mean, tonight, this is the largest New Year's Eve celebration in the nation. We've taken over New York Times Square. I mean, that's incredible for our city. Will you be downtown this evening, Brandon? Stop it. To watch the note drop? No, we, I will be at Mayor Bowl. We do a prefixed five course meal tonight. Oh, and you've got, oh my God. I don't know why it did not occur to me until this moment that you have to work New Year's Eve service tonight. Yeah. Well, I don't have to, but I want to.

01:16:48I mean, it's gonna be a busy night. Yeah, I, listen, a busy restaurant to me is, that's a dream spot. Oh, I love it. I love. We are kind of the opposite. We're like a lot of restaurants, I think, like ramp up to New Year's Eve. We have been. Ramping down. Beyond bonkers the entire month. So by the time we get to New Year's Eve, we're like, it is, our New Year's Eve is literally called no plans New Year's. And we say, if you have nothing to do and you want to keep it low key, we are open for regular dinner service and takeout. Come over in your baseball hat, eat a pizza, go home and fall asleep before the music note drops. That's the Green Hills Grill. Our reservations end at 8 p.m. Oh, okay. I mean, it's, we're in Brentwood. We're in Maryland Farms. We're in an office park. But the house is this big, fantastic house and still decorated on the Christmas decor. And so we do a five course prefixed meal. We're the place you go for the fancy dinner before you go where you're gonna spend New Year's.

01:17:53So we're really busy from like four to eight. Nice. Even when we used to do like a New Year's Eve thing, we would always, people would always be gone by like 10. I mean, our whole- Because people want to ring in the New Year somewhere else. We get people like coming in before they go downtown. Nobody on our team will ring the New Year in at the restaurant. Tony asked me this morning, he said, will we be up at midnight? And I said, my God, I hope not. We changed the clocks. We used to change the clocks for our kids at like eight o'clock and we would like play like a countdown on the TV. I'm like, it's midnight at like 8.30. And they'd be like, yeah, it's New Year. And they're like, all right, go to bed. That's cute. And then we would watch, you know, whatever the Nashville thing is on TV. But I watch, I'm with the kids, I'm with the wife. Mostly everybody's asleep at midnight. And I always make it because I just, it's just, I like to- I can't tell you the last time I was awake to see a New Year rung in. And tonight will be no exception, so. I don't know, I like New Year. I think it's a good reset button. And I know- Oh, I do too. There's a lot of people out there who subscribe to the, if you're waiting for New Year to hit the reset button, like just do it now, you'd be happier.

01:18:59And I get that, but here we are. There's something energetically about- January 1st, like let's go. Do you, here's my question. Do you have resolutions? No, I really don't. I've never been a New Year's resolution person. And I think also, for me, I never do like the January stuff that everybody does, like the January diet or dry January or anything like that, because I work so much in December that I actually, like- Is your time to like be gluttonous a little bit? Honestly, it really is. It's my time to be like, oh, I'm gonna relax and I'm not gonna worry about things. And you know what I mean? Day drinking. Honestly, you know, we're going up to Chicago to see my in-laws day after tomorrow. And that'll kind of be like our relaxing Christmas celebration is, you know, up in my in-laws house, because that'll be the time that we actually can just lay around in our pajamas all day and do nothing.

01:19:59I'm going, I'm gonna go snowboarding the first week of February. Oh, that's fine. Where are you going? Tahoe, I was at Heavenly. Oh, good for you. I was at Tahoe, yeah. Good for you. And then five days, me and Steven, we do a trip every year. That's awesome. And we go, it's technically a work trip. So it's our visionary integrator, like it's our alignment meeting that we, most of our meetings are done on a lift. That's great. 15 minutes at the side of the mountain, we talk about all the stuff and then we carve down the mountain and pick up what we left off. Wow. It's really good. You talk about me- Good bonding. Needing to be focused. Yeah. Us, we do a lot of our meetings here in the studio. Yeah. You can focus. And we use the monitor and we put up Zoom calls or whatever, but in the restaurant, I can't do shit. Yeah. In the restaurant, I sit down and I get 50 people that come up every two seconds. I can't get anything done in the restaurant. So we have to get away. I get work done at home. I can't even do work at home because I got kids and people, it's just, I just, I gotta come here or we gotta go out of town.

01:21:04Yeah. I am so productive when I'm at my in-laws house. I get so much work done. Well, that's awesome. I love it. I can't wait. I'm actually really looking forward to that next week. We've been going for like an hour and 15 minutes. I think it's time to say happy new year and- Move forward with this thing? See you on the other side. Well, let's let people know that we are gonna be talking next week with Becca Gardner. Becca is the CEO and founder of Naked Lady. We didn't get into the name of the thing, why she called it Naked Lady, but it's Naked Lady because it's a woman-owned business and it's- Spirit free. Spirit alternative. So it's a whiskey alternative, a gin alternative, and a tequila alternative that she has. So if you're looking for dry January, there is an amazing opportunity for you to check out Naked Lady. She's gonna be on next Monday. We'll put out the whole episode. She's sober and talks about her sobriety, but also why she created these. These are unique drinks because there's a gin, a tequila, and whiskey, and she starts with the full product.

01:22:07She starts with a real tequila from Mexico and then she extracts the ethanol or the alcohol out of it and what's left is the essence of that spirit. And so you make them in a drink and it's a really nice, you can have a margarita that tastes like a margarita with no alcohol. It's such a cool idea and I really enjoy our conversation with her. I think people, anybody who's looking to do dry January, this is the perfect thing to listen to. And then we're gonna have, the week after that, we're gonna have Lyle Richardson, who's the COO of A Marshall Hospitality. And that was a really fun conversation. I really... It was very interesting to chat with him. I feel like we really got down to some brass tacks, business chats. It felt like I was argumentative with him. You do? Oh, I didn't think that. I felt like I... Well, I guess I haven't listened to it. I haven't listened to it either. I was just present when it was happening. But I look back on things like that and a guy like him who has a similar position that I do, he has 14 restaurants, I have two, about to be three, but we have two.

01:23:09And I don't know. I feel like I was like, I don't know if I puff up my chest a little bit and I have a little bit of like a complex where I'm like, well, I would do things like this or that. Like when he was talking about the paper and I was like, I wouldn't have done that. I wouldn't have gone to the paper. I would have stood. And I think about little things. You'll have to hear this conversation. We're gonna put the whole thing out there. I'll let you know what I think when I hear it. Yeah, I had some... I was like, man, I kind of feel like an asshole, but we'll have to see. I'll let you know. I haven't listened to it either. We're excited about 2023. I'm excited about this show. I think we're gonna bring some amazing stuff. I'm very excited. I really think this is gonna be good. So you're at a town next two weeks. We're just getting started, guys. Just getting started. Got a whole year ahead. You can get more content like this. For better or worse. For better or worse. Happy New Year, everybody. Happy New Year. Please stay safe out there. And don't do anything crazy.

01:24:10And love you guys. Bye. Bye.