Why Nashville is New Orleans hospitality's new frontier
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Barrel Proof Nashville opened in December 2023. Photo: Courtesy of LeBlanc + Smith
A new pipeline is opening up between New Orleans and Nashville, and it's creating big growth opportunities for Crescent City hospitality.
Why it matters: Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and tapping into that economic powerhouse can only be good for New Orleans business.
The big picture: As Nashville's role in the music industry has boomed over the previous decades, New Orleans musicians have headed north in search of new opportunities.
- But the restaurant community's expansion into that market seems to be relatively recent — and it's in large part thanks to Elliott Kyle, a Nashville developer, sources tell Axios New Orleans.
- "He absolutely loves New Orleans and he's the throughput," says LeBlanc + Smith founder Robert LeBlanc.
The intrigue: Kyle's connection to New Orleans began when he was in college at Washington & Lee, where Rene Louapre became one of his best friends.
- Later, Louapre would co-found Hogs for the Cause, giving Kyle another reason to visit the city and learn more about its food scene.
- As Kyle's real estate business in Nashville grew, he started seeing opportunities beyond its boundaries, he says.
- "That's really the work I like to do most: get to know independent operators on a personal level, develop some trust, and then a lot of times put my own money into these concepts because I want to put my money where my mouth is to support these people who are doing this amazing stuff," Kyle says.
That method is behind New Orleans-to-Nashville spots like:
- The Turkey and the Wolf Ice House.
- LeBlanc's Barrel Proof Nashville and The Chloe Nashville, which is set to open this September. Another LeBlanc + Smith bar concept tentatively called Formerly Known As is also due open in The Gulch in October or November.
- And Little Miss Mao, though chef Sophina Uong closed up shop soon after opening.
The door opens in both directions, too, with Nashville's Rice Vice recently opening in Algiers, though Kyle wasn't involved in that deal.
Between the lines: The expansions, New Orleans hospitality owners say, are made easier by quick direct flights and a welcoming, uncompetitive industry similar to what they find at home.
- "I wouldn't necessarily want to go open a restaurant somewhere if when we started talking about it, people weren't like 'oh my gosh that would be so great, we'd love to have you, we'd love to have more people here,' which is cool," Turkey and the Wolf's Mason Hereford says.
- The "cultural pathways" between the two cities easily gel, says LeBlanc. In Nashville, the community is "super warm and inviting and believe, like we do in New Orleans, that a rising tide raises all boats."
What's next: Expect to see more New Orleans businesses open in Nashville.
- Kyle isn't naming names, but there are "some other brands ... that could potentially" make the expansion.