The World Famous Hernando’s Hide-A-Way has had its share of struggles through the ongoing pandemic. The legendary club, a major watering hole and music venue throughout the golden age(s) of Memphis music, was purchased by some partners that included former Austinite Dale Watson, founder of the Ameripolitan festival. It reopened in late 2019 after being shuttered for many years. But just when it was really finding its legs, along came COVID-19.
Watson closed for a time, then restructured the club management and set up for virtual performances in the quarantine age. “The silver lining in this stuff was we got wired up for live-streaming,” he says. “Quality cameras, quality sound. So if the bands want to, they can live-stream on YouTube, and we’ve got a tickertape that rolls on the bottom of the screen with their PayPal and Venmo information. We’ve had bands come in and make quite a bit of money through tipping alone.”
Nevertheless, making the bar and restaurant pay for itself was an uphill climb, even when the space reopened at limited capacity late last year. “If it wasn’t for the PPP loan, I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far,” he reflects. And recently, Watson nearly gave up on the place for good. “It really was right down to the wire. In fact, I was going to sell the place. It was on the market for one day, when Tony Westmoreland came to me and said, ‘Man, is it true?’ I said it was and he said, ‘No, don’t do that! Let’s do something.'”
Tony Westmoreland is, with Stephanie Westmoreland and Cullen Kent, a co-owner of Tandem Restaurant Partners. And they were a game-changer for Hernando’s. Watson can barely contain his enthusiasm.
“Tandem came in and saved our butts,” he says. “They came in like the cavalry. I can’t say enough about Tony and Stephanie Westmoreland, they’re just great people. His whole outfit, man. And when I say they came in like the cavalry, I’m not exaggerating. They came in just a week or two ago, we pooled our resources, and this week we went full blast.
“We just had a really cool Sunday with a hot rod show. Now we have more music and we’re doing comedy. We’ll have a burlesque show May 6th. We’ll have a Country Drag Night. And residencies have already started, like the Turnstyles and the MD’s. We’ll do a lot of stuff for Elvis week. We’re catering to touring acts as well, but we want to keep the local stuff happening. It’s going to work out great for the Ameripolitan Awards. ‘Cos now we’re going to have more venues for showcases.
“Our menu is also getting bigger. That’s thanks to Tandem as well. They have Growlers, Zinnie’s, Carolina Watershed and others, so they’ve really got the restaurant/bar side of it down. We’re going to extend the patio, too, so more people can go outside.
“We’re not losing money now. Thanks to Tandem, we’ve got our ducks in a row and can see some light at the end of the tunnel. And I’d like to thank all the Memphis folks for hanging with us.
“Tandem came in and overnight just made a huge difference in everything. And that just validated my decision to move to Memphis. Just good people all around. I’ve got the best neighbor in the world, my buddy Carl, and we’ve got a lot of great musicians. Just great friends. Memphis seems to be pulling together and they sure did for me.”
