Owner of Nashvilles Bongo Java coffeehouse and Fido restaurant has a lease on space at The Melrose mixed-use development, with plans to open a modern diner. Owner Bob Bernstein and Derek Wolfe, the manager of Bongo Java Roasting Co., are partners in the new venture. They plan to open the diner in the 3,000-square-foot space at 2600 Franklin Pike in August. The diner would be one of three restaurants in the redeveloped historic Melrose Theatres 27,500 square feet of retail space, including Sinema restaurant/bar, which is set to open this summer, and another concept thatll be owned by Nashville restaurateur Austin Ray and developer Joe Parkes. Bernstein declined to reveal the name of the planned new diner. But he said it would seat about 80 people and offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, similar to his Fido upscale coffeehouse and casual restaurant in Hillsboro Village. Were calling it a modern take on a traditional diner, Bernstein added, promising a different look and feel from his other establishments. We tailor our concepts to fit the community. We dont take the same concept and keep plugging it in all over the town and the country. We do one-off cafes. The new diner would be the latest venture in Bernsteins growing enterprise, which began 21 years ago with the opening of the Bongo Java coffeehouse on Belmont Boulevard. In addition to that location and Fido, Bernstein now owns Bongo East in East Nashville, Hot & Cold on 21st Ave. S., Grins Vegetarian Cafe on the Vanderbilt University campus, and Bongo Java Roasting Co. and Bongo Java Coffeehouse at the Omni Nashville hotel. Related: Top chef alum to open Sinema in The Melrose Video: See inside The Melrose apartments In addition to food, the new diner will offer Bongo Java coffee, beer and wine, Bernstein said. The diner will buy organic coffee beans from Bongo Java Roasting, and like Bernsteins other businesses, will buy most of its produce and ingredients from local sources. Bernstein is working on the logo and other details for the concept. It will be a diner with great coffee, he said. Joe Baker, city manager for Berry Hill, welcomed the latest addition to the Nashville satellite city, which is seeing strong interest from local and other developers of apartments and space for retail businesses. Were excited to see the new commercial development here and think that theres going to be more of that to serve all of the new residential development here, he added. Related: Katy K, Station Inn, Colonial liquors react to neighborhood booms The closest coffeehouses to Bernsteins new diner would be 8th & Roast on Eighth Avenue South and Sam & Zoes off Thompson Lane. Nashville has many new coffeehouses, but Bernstein said those locations arent too close to each other, with each having its own flavor, and serve the targeted neighborhood well. Reach Getahn Ward at 615-726-5968 and on Twitter @Getahn.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 18:23:13 +0000
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