Brad McCarley closed his establishments, including City Block Salumeria, at Puck Food Hall.
Chef/butcher and owner Brad McCarley has closed all his businesses at Puck Food Hall on South Main. He closed City Block Salumeria, Venga, and Doughjo July 8th.
“We are officially closed,” McCarley says. “I’ve got a few irons in the fire, but not exactly sure how that’s all going to pan out. I worked with a lot of different restaurants in the past, making meats for them. So, I’ll probably continue doing that.”
As for why he’s shutting down, McCarley says, “Pretty much it was just revenues. In March, they were cut by 75 percent. And it just kept going down. So, it’s just not being able to pay the bills.”
He and Spencer Coplan, who closed his Wok’n in Memphis restaurant the same day, “came to this decision,” McCarley says.
“I grew up here and then I moved out west for about 20 years. I lived in Tucson, Arizona, and Jackson, Wyoming, and Salt Lake City. But, yeah, I came back about five years ago. I worked as the head butcher at Porcellino’s (Craft Butcher) and then I was at the Curb Market when they reopened in Crosstown. And I opened City Block.
“I also managed the entire [Puck] hall through remodel, rebrand, and through the last year.”
McCarley plans to stay in Memphis. “I have no plans to leave. It’s my home town. I love how everyone has been so supportive of us, but it’s just this pandemic has just taken the wind out of my sails a little bit.
“The plan is to keep City Block viable and reopen it when people feel better about going out.”
