Ford Fry Is Officially Expanding His Empire to Nashville

The rumors have been swirling for a while, and now it’s official: Ford Fry is opening a Nashville restaurant. Scratch that, the tireless empire builder is opening three Nashville restaurants. Fry will be a major player in the Music City’s Germantown neighborhood, he confirmed Wednesday.

There’s no word on what, exactly, is in store, but the mega-restaurateur tells Eater Nashville seafood may be the name of the game: "It will be three distinct spaces but will all work together with the majority being highly seafood-centric. I am always a fan of local music talent so I can also see a fun version of a ‘listening room/honky tonk.’ But whatever it is, it needs to be true and unique to Nashville." Fry previously floated the idea of expanding his Superica Tex-Mex concept to the city.

After a relatively quiet 2016 — he’s opened just one restaurant, Superica Buckhead, this year — Fry appears to be ready for some new challenges. He opened five restaurants in 2015 alone: the original Superica in Krog Street Market, Marcel in Westside Provisions District, Bar Margot at the Four Seasons hotel in Midtown, BeetleCat in Inman Park’s Inman Quarter development, and State of Grace in Houston, his first expansion beyond the Atlanta market.

Fry’s Atlanta restaurant roster also includes JCT. Kitchen & Bar and The Optimist in Westside, King + Duke and St. Cecilia in Buckhead, No. 246 in Decatur, and The El Felix in Alpharetta’s Avalon development. Right now, it looks like his next local opening will be a Superica outpost at the development surrounding the Atlanta Braves’ new ballpark. That could be in business by spring 2017.

• Atlanta Empire Builder Ford Fry Is Bringing Three Restaurants to Germantown [ENSH]
• All Ford Fry Coverage [EATL]
• All Expansions [EATL]