CoreLife Eatery, an active lifestyle restaurant offering a variety of greens, grains and broth-based dishes, has officially made its way to the Volunteer State. CoreLife Eatery opened its first Tennessee location April 27 at 2330 Medical Center Pkwy, Suite E in Murfreesboro. CoreLife Eatery brings together scratch cooking with flavorful source ingredients for a healthy and affordable eating alternative.
Bread and Butter Sandwich Co. opened May 1 on Mercury Boulevard near the Waffle House. According to its Facebook page, the restaurant “is committed to creating inspired, chef-driven meals that are handcrafted and are to be enjoyed between two slices of bread. We pride ourselves on using the finest ingredients from local merchants and treasured recipes.”
A new dessert place is set for Fountains at Gateway. Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop offers delicious scratch-made pies in four- and nine-inch sizes from a 1,200-square-foot bakery. Traditional pies like Southern buttermilk, chocolate chess, coconut cream and key lime, along with branded varieties including Granny’s Apple Pie, and I-40 Pecan, are served year-round. Buttermilk Sky Pie Shop offers delicious pies and other handmade desserts in a unique, warm, environment. No opening date has been announced with only a teasing “coming soon” on buttermilkskypie.com.
Also, a new Papa John’s Pizza opened in late April at 3138 S. Church St. This brings delivery pizza to southern Rutherford County.
Al Rayan has expanded its back-of-store food offerings to a full restaurant. If you like hummus, do yourself a favor and get some along with pita that’s baked onsite. The restaurant is located at 1107 Memorial Blvd.
After Sub Stop owner Travis Millwood announced the restaurant’s closing in March, the Vine Street building has been repainted and transformed into Hernandez Mexican Deli. The new concept serves coffee, breakfast and lunch. The deli will be Mexican-themed and serve authentic cuisine.
The Metro Diner, a Florida-based restaurant, is proposed for the new multi-tenant commercial development on the west side of North Thompson Lane near Medical Center Parkway. Find more about Metro Diner at metrodiner.com.
___
Labor Shortage Hurts Two Restaurants
In mid-April, Omni Hut owner Polly Walls-Balakhani said the Smyrna staple had to temporarily close because management could not find staff.
Walls-Balakhani said “dependable, trainable people are hard to find.” The main problem is a lack of qualified kitchen staff to make the restaurant’s recipes from scratch.
Local celebrity chef Alex Belew has been forced to “slow open” his new venture Dallas & Jane because he can’t find servers. The restaurant has been holding small seatings for tapas and cocktails on Monday through Thursday evenings to train staff, but Belew has been reluctant to set an opening date for his full-scale restaurant. For updates, visit facebook.com/dallasandjane.
___
Not Everything Is a Restaurant
Orangetheory Fitness will finally celebrate the grand opening of its first Murfreesboro location on Thursday, May 3. The new studio will be located in The Avenue, 2615 Medical Center Pkwy., in between Old Navy and Belk. The new Murfreesboro Orangetheory Fitness is the second location owned by franchisees Scott and Meghan Littlejohn, who also own the Franklin location.
According to a press release, the heart-rate monitored, high-intensity workout is scientifically designed to keep heart rates in a target zone that spikes metabolism and increases energy, allowing clients to continue burning calories for 36 hours following the workout. Find more on Orangetheory Fitness Murfreesboro at murfreesboro.orangetheoryfitness.com.
Borderlines
A new kids fashion store, Borderlines, has opened at 1715 S. Rutherford Blvd. in Murfreesboro. According to the store’s Facebook page, it offers “trendy yet affordable clothing and accessories for toddlers to tweens.”
The former home to Manuel’s Cajun Country Store in Milton has new owners Phillip and Alanna Vaught. The Auburntown residents “are very passionate about repairing/restoring the building which was built around 1900,” they posted on Facebook. They’ve decided to it store The Gathering at Milton and, by what they’ve posted so far, it seems to be a rentable venue for, you guessed it, gatherings.
Rocket Shirts has a new location. Murfreesboro’s fastest T-shirt maker can now be found at 141 MTCS Rd., Ste. B, next door to Just Love Coffee and behind Reeves-Sain Pharmacy.
The Rain Tree Salon & Day Spa also plans to relocate. The salon will move to a 5,000-square-foot space at the old Hastings building on Memorial Boulevard alongside Climb Murfreesboro.
___
Experience Purchases Building
The Experience Community bought the historic factory that has been its home since 2009, according to records from the Rutherford County Register of Deeds. Built in 1926, Experience paid $7.5 million in March for the 91,000-square-foot historic factory and its 8.5 acres at 521 Old Salem Rd. in Murfreesboro on March 7. According to Property Assessor records, the building and land were last appraised for $5.4 million.
The building once housed Buser Ribbon Mill, which produced nylon cords for Vietnam War paratroopers.
___
Catfish News
Rumor has it that Uncle Bud’s is returning to town. The original owners of the Franklin location (yes, the one with the lake) have gained ownership again, and plan to bring Bud’s locally beloved catfish, chicken and such back to the ’Boro. The old Jazzmatazz building (and Santa Fe before that) off Old Fort Parkway will bring the catfish back in about three months.
Tag’z 5 Star Meats has a new set of owners. Mike Taglio launched his ministry of meat in 2000 and, as of April 2018, he handed it off to Trent and Denise Malone.
“We would like to thank you all for your support the past 17 ½ years,” Taglio said in a recent social media post. “We have often said ‘we have the best customers, who have become like family to us.’ We will miss you all, but feel it’s time we start on a new journey.”
___
Closing Corner
Peter D’s American Southern Bistro officially closed its physical location on April 18 and transitioned into a catering business.
The four-year-old upscale casual restaurant had no intention of closing its doors until McAlister’s Deli recently proposed a leasing offer, owner Peter Demos said in a press release.
The Demos Family of Restaurants is choosing to focus their energies on their newest restaurant concept, PDK Southern Kitchen & Pantry. The fast-casual restaurant will open its first location in June in Bellevue, and its second location in Mt. Juliet later this year. PDK’s menu was inspired by Peter D’s cuisine and will offer fan favorites such as hot chicken, D’s Reuben, and shrimp and grits. The casual eatery will also showcase an open pantry where local causes and social entrepreneurs will offer specialty products and gifts.
Almost all of All In One Recycling has been wiped from the face of the earth. The website is gone. The Facebook page has disappeared. The phone line has been disconnected. All that is left are poor reviews on Google, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau.
