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Kirk Cotham and Chad Foreman of Wolf River Hospitality Group — the parent company of Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza, Wolf River Brisket Co., Abner’s Famous Chicken, Levee Coffee & Creamery, and Limelight — are working on a new concept for the Shops at Carriage Crossing in Collierville. Estimated opening is late spring or early summer 2024.
The site, which is 10,000 square feet, is currently in the planning stage. It will be a full-service gastropub with a sports bar. It will also feature live music.
Both men live in the suburbs and were, of course, well aware of the goings-on at Carriage Crossing.
Edwards Realty Co. purchased Carriage Crossing for $25 million in March.
“We’re watching the new owners come in and thinking, ‘Okay, well, that’ll be great. Maybe they can do something great there,'” Cotham said.
Not too much later, the team at Jones Aur invited them to Carriage Crossing to hear about their vision for the space that was once Hickory Tavern. Cotham and Foreman realized that none of their current concepts made sense for that space.
The men considered what the area needed, what was underrepresented or not represented at all.
“What it came down to was music,” Cotham said. “We have a lot of places in town that have really good stages, but when we get out in the suburbs, we don’t have spaces that were designed on the front end for music.”
The new place will also include what Cotham deemed, “the next generation of sports bar.”
“Sports bar used to be a small hole in the wall kind of place,” he said. “Now, it means big — big ceilings and big screens.”
Cotham said that Wolf River Hospitality Group has been evolving over the years. What that means is both looking for good real estate and understanding what concept would work best in said real estate. And, if they don’t have the concept, creating a new one that might work.
That’s what they are doing with the as-yet-unnamed concept at Carriage Crossing. Cotham said they don’t have experience in doing music or doing a gastropub, but he feels that the Wolf River team has the talent on staff to make it happen.
The new spot is being designed to draw people in, whether it’s through the music or the sports bar or the food and good service.
Cotham wasn’t ready to share the design details or the menu or even what they are considering for names.
“It won’t be Kirk and Chad’s,” he said. “That’s the one thing I can promise you.”
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Collierville concept from Wolf River Hospitality to feature gastropub … – The Business Journals
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