Andrew Arbogast's Arbo's Cheese Dip and two new dips will soon be in Kroger stores. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
More good news for Arbo’s Cheese Dip fans.
The popular locally-made cheese dip — as well as two upcoming new flavors — will be available in Kroger stores in late October or early November.
They will be available in 100 Kroger stores across five states — Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama — says Andrew Arbogast, 37. They will be in Kroger stores in Memphis, Collierville, Germantown, Bartlett, Cordova, and Lakeland.
For now, the dips won’t be in every Kroger store in Memphis, but they will be in the Midtown and Poplar Plaza stores, and on Kirby Parkway and Truse Parkway.
“It feels like a huge accomplishment,” Arbogast says. “I say that now knowing how much work went into it. I had some local success and I thought that would be enough to get it into Kroger in the local section.”
Now, stores have to get approval from corporate to stock local items, he says.
“Things changed right before the pandemic,” he says.
So getting into Kroger was an “eight to 10 month process.”
But, luckily, Arbogast got to know people in Kroger’s Delta and Nashville divisions. They “were basically my champions in the corporate office.”
He also got to know Craig Gliva, a Kroger category manager, who has been his mentor through the whole process.
Arbogast throught about coming up with some non-dip-related products to offer Kroger, but Gliva told him, “It has to be a passionate venture for you. If you’re just trying to add on things that don’t align with what you are doing, those things tend to fall fast. What you should do is focus on your cheese dip brand.”
Arbogast debuted his Arbo’s Cheese Dip on May 15, 2021 at High Point Grocery. He brought 12 cases, which is 144 tubs, and it sold out that weekend, he says.
A year later, Arbo’s Cheese Dip is now in 300 stores in the Mid-South.
On August 15th, the dips will be available in major Texas cities. They will be sold at H-E-B Grocery Co.’s Central Market stores.
Arbogast will introduce the two new flavors — Queso Blanco and Spicy Original — in August.
“I’m going to release the two new flavors in some local stores here in the next three weeks,” he says, “maybe sooner.”
Fino’s From the Hill, Grind City Brewing Co., Oxbeau, and Doc’s Food & Spirits will be the first locations to carry the new dips, Arbogast says.
Bryant's Breakfast, a longtime Summer Avenue favorite, is expanding. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
In addition to a Bryant’s Big Breakfast, diners soon will be getting a bigger Bryant’s Breakfast & Lunch.
That’s the upcoming new name of the iconic restaurant at 3965 Summer Avenue, says Judd Tashie, co-owner of the Tashie Restaurant Group. The expanded restaurant — which is doubling its space — is set to open in October.
The Tashie Group bought the restaurant after owner Phil Bryant decided to sell it November 2020. It reopened April 14th, 2021. The group recently bought La Esperanza Tienda Mexicana, a supermarket next door to Bryant’s Breakfast.
Bryant’s Bakery bought the old La Esperanza Tienda Mexicana next door. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
They now have an “expanded footprint, expanded menu,” Tashie says. The total space of the restaurant will be 4,200 square feet. But, he says, “We’re not taking the space just to have a lot more seats. The point is the kitchen was just too small to do everything we want to do.”
They plan to open longer hours, seven days a week and do plate lunches. “A big part of the rationale was to allow us to expand our offering in terms of menu in an effort to launch this plate lunch and stay open later.”
The group bought the store around the end of June “from a lady who’s been operating it for a long long time. She was looking to do something different. She was ready to retire.”
Tashie says, “We put a door to Bryant’s and we cleared the store out.” As for what the new space will look like, he says, “We don’t have an exact layout, but we’re going to expand the kitchen, run it vertically the way it is now all the way across into this space. We’ll have a proper prep kitchen, a walk-in cooler. So, we’re just going to have a lot more room to work with that will allow us to do plate lunches and other things. And we’ll be able to stay open later to accommodate people who want to eat lunch. It will allow us more room to prep to stay open.”
There will be more seating as well as a lunch counter with stools in the expanded area. “Imagine a 1950s luncheonette.” They also will feature a “self-serve grab and go” hot box concept, where customers pressed for time can select what they want and pay for it right away.
But, Tashie says, “Part of the charm of Bryant’s is it’s tight. It’s small. And it creates a buzz because of that.”
They are considering staying open later “as the market and our customers dictate. We’re here to please.”
What about dinner at Bryant’s? “If people want it, we’re here to give it to them.”
The plate lunches will include the “traditional Southern meat and three offerings” Bryant’s is known for, Tashie says.
They’ve already hired Frankie Gattuso, formerly of Cupboard and Pete & Sam’s, who will be the lead cook and in charge of menu development. “He came over with the express intent to do the plate lunches.”
Jesus “Cooper” Marquez is “our right arm in terms of kitchen operations.” And, Tashie says, “General manager Richard Lucchesi will continue to lead all facets of the operation.”
After they bought Bryant’s Breakfast, Tashie said in a Flyer interview, all they did was “optimize all the equipment, get all the former staff back, and reprint the menus.”
He also said buying the restaurant was “a great opportunity” because Bryant’s “has a great reputation for great food, great service. It’s a Memphis classic.”
The Tashie Group also bought La Baguette French Bread and Pastry Shop in Chickasaw Oaks. A second La Baguette at 5101 Sanderlin Avenue is expected to open in fall, 2022.
“While the Tashies are in an expansion mode,” Tashie says, the group decided to take additional space next to the Chickasaw Oaks La Baguette. They leased the boutique next door. “Renovations are under way with plans to connect the space beginning in September. David Tashie is leading the renovation of the La Baguette expansion.”
And, Judd says, “renovations are well under way” for the new location of Ciao Bella Italian Grill, which will move this fall from 565 Erin Drive to 5100 Sanderlin Avenue in the space that formerly housed Craft Republic and the old Fox and Hound.
Jack Culp and David Tashie at the new Ciao Bella location. (Credit: Judd Tashie)Bryant’s Breakfast gets bigger. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Try a Guava Agua Fresca on a hot — or cold — day at Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana. (Credit: Jonathan Magallanes)
Well, the temperature is supposed to reach 104 degrees this week. And not just for one day, apparently.
So here’s a way to, as they say, beat the heat. Order the Guava Agua Fresca at Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana.
When I visited the restaurant the other day, Jonathan Magallanes, who is chef, manager, front-of-the-house man, and just about everything else, asked me what I wanted to drink. Then he offered me a glass of their fresh guava juice.
It’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. It’s extraordinary. Just the right amount of sweetness. Refreshing. All the good adjectives.
And this isn’t something you’re going to find everywhere.
I asked Magallanes how he happened to begin selling Guava Agua Fresca.
Jonathan Magallanes with a Guava Agua Fresca, as well as a tray of yellow guavas, at Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana (Credit: Michael Donahue)
“One day randomly I’m at Walmart,” he says. “Right? And I’m just cruising down the produce aisle, whatever. But I smell something. I’m like, ‘What’s that smell? I know that smell.’ And I never smell it. Never. ‘That’s guava.’ And I’ve known this ‘cause we’ve traveled and gone to Belize, and the Yucatan, and Guatemala. Down there where they have these gorgeous, little yellow guavas.”
He tasted the yellow guava in drinks or desserts while traveling. “In Mexico, all these markets that are selling fresh fruit, guava is this one-of-a-kind scent. It’s super fragrant. Sweet and tropical. Sort of has it all. Total package fruit.”
Magallanes found the store’s guava display. “Walmart had this little clamshell with six guava. They were a little past ripe, in my opinion. But that fragrance had overtaken the whole produce section.
“I took them anyway and cut them and one was great, it was delicious. And so I looked on the little clamshell (to see) where they were from. Of course, they were imported.”
He then went to the local importer and bought them in bulk. “And they were amazing. ‘Cause they were the little yellow ones. It’s not the pink one.”
Yellow ones are different, Magallanes says. “The skin is thin enough and the seed is small enough you can juice the whole fruit.
“The seed has a certain type of guava flavor. So does the skin. And the flesh. So, you get this full spectrum of guava assault. It’s sweet the way the fruit is. It’s not sweeter than that.”
He brought them back to the restaurant and began serving the guava juice with ice and a touch of lime.
“When it’s super really ripe, it’s almost frothy or creamy. Creamy almost the way a melon is sort of creamy. Fruit that’s at peak ripeness has this luxurious quality.”
He began selling Guava Agua Fresca about a year and a half ago. “As soon as I found it in bulk and the quality was good enough.”
And, Magallanes says, “Now it’s the special juice all the time.”
Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana is at 215 South Germantown Road in Germantown, Tennessee; (901) 751-1200
Las Delicias and Cordelia's Market expand partnership. Helping show off their items are Tammy, Olympia, Giovanni, Marco Martinez, Erica Humphreys, and Angelica Martinez. Missing is Leonardo Martinez. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Las Delicias will open a third location July 20th.
Actually, it’s a location within a location for the longtime Mexican restaurant.
Las Delicias already has products at Cordelia’s Market, but now their partnership with the store has expanded. “We will be cooking out of their kitchen and (food) will be in open box coolers,” says Marco Martinez of Las Delicias. “And it will be a different menu from the restaurant.”
Selections will include “some items from the restaurant,” Martinez says. “But we’re doing things different because it’s going to be a lot of grab and go.”
New items will include roasted poblano chicken, roasted red peppers spaghetti, and chipotle chicken, Martinez says.
“I am thrilled to have them,” says Cordelia’s Market general manager Erica Humphreys. “We have carried their chips, guacamole, and pico de gallo for as long as I can remember,” she says. “And the chips are our number-one-selling item.”
Las Delicias will add new items to its existing items at Cordelia’s Market (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Down the road, Cordelia’s plans to partner with other vendors, Humphreys says. “It’s a natural first step for us, because we have such a trust in the partnership already. Having someone come in our kitchen and utilize our area is a scary thing for a grocery store. But to have Marco and his family come in is an exciting adventure.”
Also launching on July 20th at Cordelia’s Market is Muddy’s Bake Shop. “They will not be making their product at the store,” Humphreys says, “but we are doing a selection of their frozen desserts like pie crust you can take and bake at home. But then we’ll also be doing an assortment of their popular items. They will be here the 20th [of July] with their food truck handing out samples of items they’ll be selling.”
Las Delicias, which opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant almost 20 years ago at 3727 Mendenhall Road, is now located at 4002 Park Avenue in Kennedy View Shopping Center and at 5689 Quince Road.
As for what Las Delicias is known for, Martinez says, “Everybody knows us as ‘Las D’s.’ Everybody would say you could eat a full meal for under $10 at Las D’s.” With inflation, he says, “We just raised prices after many, many years. But you can still have a full meal and a drink for under $10. We’re still pretty affordable.”
Cordelia’s Market is at 737 Harbor Bend Road in Harbor Town; (901) 526-4772
Dinnertime at Bain Barbecue & Bakery soft opening. (Credit: Ryan Glosson)
Passed appetizers, menu samples, or a seated dinner with a limited menu is what I’ve found to be the norm at new restaurant soft openings.
Not so at Bain Barbecue & Bakery.
I was among the 70 people who attended what chef/co-owner Bryant Bain called the “soft opening for the soft opening” on June 2nd for the new restaurant at 993 South Cooper Street in Cooper-Young. Another soft opening is planned.
“We are currently open to the public for breakfast,” Bain says. They’ll begin serving lunch and dinner June 10th at the beautiful, light and airy restaurant in the old Stone Soup space.
Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Bain recounted the evening’s menu: “Appetizer was house queso with choice of brisket or pork. Main plate was brisket, ribs, pork, a half chicken, and our scratch-made sausages, one regular and one jalapeño cheddar. The sides were mac and cheese, baked potato salad, brisket pinto beans, and lime cilantro slaw. Dessert was pecan pie, crack pie, vanilla cakes, chocolate cake, or strawberry cake.”
That main plate heaped with food resembled more of a Thanksgiving dinner instead of a soft opening. “Groaning board” was an accurate term for what the picnic table (I ate outdoors with friends) resembled with our overflowing trays.
The food was delicious. First was the queso appetizer by itself like a soup instead of with chips. I thought that was all I was going to get to eat, so I also ate almost all the chips in the basket. I was mighty surprised when an enormous platter of food appeared. It was even more surprising when Bain’s wife, Heather, said, “Wait — we forgot this.” And co-owner Ryan Glosson added the half chicken breast to my plate.
Manager Jackson Cobb, Heather and Bryant Bain, Ryan Glosson at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Molly and Marcus Moss at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Quin Teachy and Michael Ivy at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Emma Blau and Cooper Smith at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Later, when I was walking out the door, somebody asked, “Don’t you want dessert?” I was about to fall in love with Bain’s vanilla cake.
“Haley Stephens is our head baker,” Bain says. “All my recipes, but she pours her heart and soul into everything she makes.”
And then something else I’ve never seen at a soft opening party: a blessing of the smoker. The Rev. Canon Sharon A. Alexander of The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee did the honors. Guests gathered outside to watch.
The Rev. Canon Sharon A. Alexander blesses “Peggy” the smoker at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Priscilla Shaw and Pierre Shaw at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)KK Muller and Logan Feathers at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Collier Roberts and Ella McLaughlin at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)
The smoker’s name, by the way, is “Peggy.”
“ ‘Peggy’ is for ‘Peggy Hill’ from King of the Hill,” Bain says. “I name all my pits after my favorite cartoon women. Peggy Hill is a strong Texas woman and King of the Hill was a show far before its time.”
Bain, whose hometown is Hillje, Texas, originally opened his food truck, which specialized in Texas craft-style brisket. After he closed it, several people discussed partnering on some sort of business. But when Glosson talked to him, they just clicked.
Samantha Fong and Rita Fong at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Sara Sterling and Joe Rondone at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Billy, Curt, and Sarah Cowan at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)Joanne and Jim Lippy at Bain Barbecue & Bakery (Credit: Michael Donahue)We Saw You
Go ahead and add “restaurateur” to Penny Hardaway’s CV. The former NBA star and current Memphis Tigers basketball coach is set to open a new restaurant just a quick jaunt from the FedEx Forum.
In partnership with Wellengood Partners and Gourmet Services, Inc., Hardaway will introduce Penny’s Nitty Gritty, a “unique, upscale restaurant with a touch of added Southern flair” at The Westin Memphis Beale Street. Gourmet Services corporate executive chef Elizabeth A. Rodgers is curating the menu; diners can expect specialty items like collard green fondue, a Penny Loaf, and some other of Hardaway’s favorite dishes.
“I wanted a concept that would serve the best food to my family, friends, and visitors to Memphis. I wanted people who come to the restaurant to have a first-class experience,” said Hardaway. “When I tasted food from the menu, I was blown away, and I know others will be too.”
“Penny Hardaway is a Memphis basketball icon,” said Glenn Malone, CEO of Wellengood Partners. “With the University of Memphis Tigers’ home court at the FedEx Forum across the street from The Westin, Penny’s Nitty Gritty is the best place to get something to eat before or after a game, or other events taking place Downtown.”
Tamra "Chef Tam" Patterson (right), who was honored by Memphis City Council, was a lead chef at the Miami Grand Prix Formula One.
Tamra “Chef Tam” Patterson, owner of Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe, was given a resolution for her accomplishments from the Memphis City Council on May 10th at Memphis City Hall.
“It’s really nice to receive an honor in the city,” Patterson says. “Especially not being a native authentically of the city. It’s really cool to see the city taking notice of the hard work I put in to bring good press and amazing food to the city.”
Patterson, who is from Ft. Worth, Texas, moved to Memphis seven years ago. She also opened a Chef Tam’s Underground Express in Arlington, Texas. And she opened her food truck, Smoke and Ice, in April.
The accomplishments listed in the resolution are staggering. The resolution lists eight “Whereas-es.” Among them are her first-place wins on Food Network’s Chopped and Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)’s Great American Cookout, for her “soul food recipes,” including fried mac and cheese and shrimp and cheddar grits; launching a line of cookware and a collection of juices; and opening her second restaurant in Arlington.
And, referring to her win on the April 5th episode of Chopped, the resolution states, “WHEREAS to appease the judges’ palates even more, Tamra “Chef Tam” Patterson created the Stuffed French Toast BLT stuffed with strawberry and tomato puree, lettuce, whipped cream, and candied bacon.”
The resolution was signed by chairwoman Jamita E. Swearengen, Memphis City Council, District 4.
The amazingly energetic Patterson made it to City Hall the day after getting back from working as a lead chef at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix Formula One motor race, which was held May 8th at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. Formula One races are “normally out of the country. This is Miami’s first time hosting it.
“I was invited down to be one of the lead chefs of their VIP lounges. They had 10 VIP lounges,” Patterson says. “Everyone from JPMorgan Chase to Mercedes-Benz to McLaren to Ferrari. It was myself and 20 other lead chefs. We had a team of 80 to 90 cooks, and we just cooked our toes off. Literally. We were crying our feet hurt so bad.”
They were “cooking” in every sense of the word during the weekend event, which featured races for three days beginning May 6th. “We went to bed at 1:30 in the morning and had to be back to meet the shuttle at 5 a.m.”
They were cooking for 5,500 people a day, Patterson says. “It was three days. But we fed them breakfast. Then we fed them lunch. Then they had something called a ‘Soak Up’ where we just gave them greasy food to soak up all the alcohol they drank all day.”
The VIP lounges hosted celebrities as well as GOAT (Greatest of All Time) athletes, including Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, Tom Brady, and David Beckham. “It was superstar-studded.”
And, she says, “There were only a handful of African-American chefs, and we cooked for the world’s wealthiest people. And that was an amazing experience.”
They prepared a range of food, including croissant sandwiches, sushi, sashimi, watermelon and feta salad, mustard pork loin, skirt steak, filet mignon, and lamb. “We were all in the kitchen at the same time. It was about a 15,000-square-foot commissary we cooked in.”
And they “kept cooking until they cleared the entire menu.”
They cooked during the event, but, Patterson says, “We got there at the end of April, and we started prepping as soon as the kitchen was set up.”
That included everything from cleaning lamb to shucking oysters. But once they got “near the actual race,” she says, “It was a 24-hour operation for three days straight. The other days were between 12- and 16-hour days. All the rest of the day I was icing my knees and taking my leave.”
For her cooking, Patterson, who personally did the lobster mac and cheese, quinoa salad, truffle mashed potatoes, and German potato salad, got “great feedback and everybody loved it.”
It sounds like a cooking marathon, but, Patterson says the event was not “the most tedious” time she’s spent in a kitchen. “We actually cooked for 3,500 at Chef Tam’s. And we did it with less than 20 people.”
Patterson returned to Memphis late Monday. “I was back in the kitchen the next day.”
And, she says she has to head to her Texas location at 3 a.m. May 12th.
So, what’s next for Patterson? “What’s next for me is a vacation,” she says. “I need somebody who loves me to take me somewhere I don’t have to be Chef Tam. I can be asleep.”
Laughter was heard in the background. It was Patterson’s husband, Nicholas Patterson, who’s probably going to be that “somebody” who’s going to give her that well-earned vacation.
Stephanie and Brice Bailey (Credit: Staks Pancake Kitchen)
Expect to see a couple more pancake kitchens in the near future. Staks Pancake Kitchen announced today that it had secured an additional Shelby County location in Collierville, via a second franchise agreement with local entrepreneur Nick Bolander.
“We are excited about expanding the Staks brand with Nick,” says Brice Bailey, owner of Staks Pancake Kitchen. “Nick brings a great energy to the brand and we look forward to seeing Staks grow locally and serving Collierville and more.”
The Collierville Staks is set to open later this year, with Bolander looking at potential locations along the Poplar corridor and creating the largest Staks to date. Beyond Tennessee, he is also set to open a franchise in Omaha, Nebraska.
“Growing up working in restaurants, I have always wanted to own one and teach my kids the service industry,” Bolander says. “When the opportunity to bring our favorite brunch spot to Collierville came about, we absolutely could not pass it up. Staks’ passion using locally sourced ingredients and embracing fair trade practices is something we share and the difference you taste when you eat at Staks. We are looking forward to supporting our community with pride in the products and excellent customer service to be provided.”
The upscale, fast-casual breakfast and lunch restaurant originally opened in 2015, and currently has three local locations in Memphis, Germantown, and Southaven, Mississippi.
Michael Donahue tries a Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich at Tops Bar-B-Q. (Credit: Morgan Leslie)
I was having lunch with Elvis at a Tops Bar-B-Q on Summer Avenue when I noticed a sign announcing the restaurant’s new “Smoked BBQ Bologna.”
First of all, I wasn’t actually eating with Elvis, of course. I was dining at a booth beneath a photo of the King, who was wearing a shiny (silk?) jacket, black pants, loafers, and light-colored socks while kneeling in front of a pink Cadillac. The car actually had the letters “TCB,” which look like chrome, on the front. The license plate sign says “1957.”
When I eat at Tops, I think of growing up in the 1950s and smelling barbecue cooking in the pit when my family drove by a Tops location.
Over the years, Tops, which opened in 1952, has served its fantastic barbecue with sauce and slaw and its incredibly-good hamburgers. I remember when they began selling brisket sandwiches and ribs 17 years ago. They began selling turkey burgers, one of my all-time favorite fast food items, 10 years ago. I have it dressed like the hamburger with mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
But a new food item at Tops is rare. Smoked BBQ Bologna is the first new Tops item in 10 years.
I talked to Tops Operations LLC vice-president Hunter Brown and CEO Randy Hough about the new Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich, which launched in April — just in time for Tops’ 70th birthday..
Smoked BBQ Bologna Sandwich at Tops Bar-B-Que (Credit: Michael Donahue)
A barbecue bologna sandwich is “a Memphis staple,” Brown says. So, they decided Tops should have one. “We saw the need from our guests. And we heard their voice. When you hear so many guests give their thoughts and ask, ‘Why don’t you have something,’ you’ve got to pay attention. That’s why Tops has been successful for 70 years.”
“New items have been few and far between here at Tops,” Hough says. And, he adds, “We’ve been hesitant to add new things to our menu line.”
Their “focus is on barbecue and hamburgers” and they want to “stay true” to those items.
Hunter Brown and Randy Hough. (Credit: Lynn Hantz)
They cook their barbecue over a direct fire pit. “A lot of barbecue companies don’t do that. They use smokers instead.”
Tops also uses charcoal and hickory wood. “Everything you think about in your backyard with your charcoal grill.”
And, he says, “It takes a lot more dedication than to put it in the smoker, set the timer, and walk away.
“We still use a smaller smoker for other items, but not for our core barbecue. It’s cooked in our open fire pit. It takes time and skill to do that.”
They always wanted to do barbecue bologna, Brown says. “We decided to go ahead and test it with some people in the area. Some of our guests.”
They invited a focus group of their customers to try the barbecue bologna last February. People said, “Wow. This is one of the best we’ve had in the city.”
“We score it and season it with our rib rub and then we smoke it. After smoking it, we grill each one to order.”
They then put it on a bun and add their “famous slaw and our signature Tops barbecue sauce.”
They introduced the Smoked BBQ Bologna at their Southaven location. “It was a resounding success across the board.”
Tops’ Olive Branch, Mississippi location announced the new sandwich. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
I visited Tops the next day and tried a Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich. It’s delicious.
I told Brown and Hough about smelling the barbecue when I drive past Tops. “It’s kind of like a billboard for us,” Brown says. “Cooking daily to have that smoke coming out. To have that rolling smoke. Even if you’re not on your way to Tops, it just lures you in.”
The aroma, which emanates from the chimney tops, “just gets you hungry,” Hough says. And, he adds, “You’re cooking them over an open fire with hickory wood and charcoal. And you’re going to get that kind of smell. Just like you would in the backyard.”
As for upcoming new items, Brown says, “We do have some thoughts.” But they don’t want to “take away from the burger and pork sandwiches.”
They’ve tried some items, which they tested internally or at other locations, that never made it out, Hough says. For example, they had a fried pie, made by a small business in Arkansas. But the pies caused operational issues.
Tops still carries its popular apple turnovers. “That’s a staple. Been with us for a long time. That is a guest favorite.”
Getting back to that guy named Elvis, Brown says the King was a customer at the Tops on Union. “We still today have the Elvis room in there.”
This photo of Elvis hangs in several Tops locations. (Courtesy Tops Bar-B-Q)
Elvis also ate at “Summer and National and Thomas as well, but Union was where he spent most of his time.”
George Montague, who was Tops general manager for 45 years, is a “big fan of Elvis.”
While they’ve got some photos of Elvis at Tops, none picture him holding a barbecue or hamburger, Brown says. “Every time I see him, he’s got a soda in his hand.” But he knows Elvis ate the food at Tops, too.
The late J. W. Lawson was founder and the late George Messick was the second generation owner of Tops, which now has 16 locations, and continues to grow.
All locations sell the new Smoked BBQ Bologna sandwich.
Says Brown: “It was originally intended to be a limited time offer, but the city of Memphis has voted with their feedback — and their stomachs. Smoked BBQ Bologna is here to stay.”
Paula Raiford with "Hollywood Hustle" and "Disco Dynamite." (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Soon it won’t just be domestic 40s behind the bar at Paula & Raiford’s Disco; beginning Friday, March 25th, you can try Paula Raiford’s very own seltzer and Robert Raiford’s beer.
Raiford’s owner, Paula Raiford, will introduce the “Hollywood Hustle” beer and “Disco Dynamite” seltzer at a private sneak preview at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 21st at Grind City Brewing Company. The brewery created both beverages.
For some time, Paula had been trying to get a beer made to honor her dad. Various attempts “faded away,” she says. She tried a few breweries, but nothing ever got off the ground. A friend from Athens Distributing suggested she talk to Grind City Brewing Company.
The friend got Paula in contact with Grind City sales director Lane Stluka and president Hopper Seely at the beginning of 2020. When she met with them “their faces lit up like, ‘Let’s go,’” Paula says. “And it went on from there.”
“Hollywood Hustle is your classic American pilsner,” Stluka says. “Your easy drinking chuggable beer. Disco Dynamite is a gin and juice seltzer. You’re going to get that pretty subtle orange juice feel going down.”
Grind City is excited to partner with Paula. “I’ve built a relationship with Paula over the last few years,” Stluka continues.
He’s impressed with “the way Paula is with people. And she’s just so full of life and has such a good name. And she believes in her family. Everything she does makes people feel so welcome. And she brings such positive energy.”
It was a perfect partnership because it’s “something she cares about. It’s got her name on it. Her dad’s name on it.”
And, Stluka says, both products are “light, easy, drinkable.”
Paula originally wanted to introduce the beer and seltzer on her dad’s birthday, August 23, but missed that date. The “next significant” dates were her birthday, March 21st, and her dad’s death date, March 22nd. “So, we’re celebrating two in one.”
In addition to letting people sample the beer and seltzer March 21st, Paula is going to bring the dance floor, the disco ball, and a deejay. “I’m bringing Raiford’s to Grind City.”
Other than the launch party, both drinks will exclusively be available at Paula & Raiford’s Disco, Paula says.
