Tin Roof 2 served its last night on Carothers Parkway on October 9, almost 20 years to the day after it opened on October 10, 2006. The next morning, Franklin resident Max Coyle bought the business's assets. By the following week the kitchen was serving food under a new name, The Rafters.
The three biggest restaurant openings in Cool Springs this fall followed the same pattern. An operator who already runs a restaurant nearby took over a room someone else built and changed what it was for. A pizza chain's dining room became an Italian chophouse. A former pizza place became a small-plates restaurant. A late-night bar became a family sports bar. Meanwhile, the closings on the Murfreesboro Road and McEwen side of town were chain locations shutting down. If your Cool Springs dinner routine feels different this November, that's why.
The Old Chicago Became a Chophouse
Roots Prime Italian Chophouse is at 440 Cool Springs Boulevard, in the space that used to be Old Chicago Pizza. Williamson Source reported in mid-September that the restaurant was open.
The owners are a familiar name. Roots is the second concept from Chef Jose Serrato and Elizabeth Serrato, who opened Serrato's Steakhouse in Franklin in 2021 and later expanded it to Brentwood. The new menu mixes an American chophouse with Italian cooking. One example is the Filet Mignon Duo, which is two 4.5-ounce filets with jumbo scallops, crab-stuffed shrimp and lobster sauce. Another is a 16-ounce French-cut pork chop with bourbon glaze, candied bacon and apple chutney. The steak list runs up to a dry-aged bone-in New York strip and a USDA Prime bone-in ribeye.
The new layout matters as much as the menu. Roots has a private dining room for up to 40 guests and a semi-private area for up to 25. It also has separate lunch, dinner and children's menus. That makes it a place for an office holiday party or a birthday dinner, which is a very different job from the one this address did when it was a pizza-and-beer chain.
The Old Pie in the Sky Became Bravado
A short drive away, POP Hospitality Group opened Bravado Small Plates & Pizzabar at 1770 Galleria Boulevard, Suite A. The Williamson Herald reported that the space was once Pie in the Sky Pizza and later Honeysuckle.
Like the Serratos, POP isn't new to the area. Bravado joins The Row, NashHouse and Treehouse in a Nashville restaurant group built over 25 years. Founder and operator Kelly Black told the Herald, "Twenty-five years ago, we started with pizza and passion," and that the group is "taking all that we have learned and pouring it into our newest creation." So a pizza group is back in a former pizza room, this time with a different format.
Chef Sean Foley's kitchen makes handmade pasta, wood-fired Neo-Neapolitan pizza and European small plates meant for sharing. The kitchen uses no seed oils and cooks with imported Italian flour, imported cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and imported Italian vine-ripened tomatoes. The drinks menu includes cocktails and a separate non-alcoholic list.
Bravado opened in stages. Dinner started September 23, weekend brunch on October 3, and lunch on October 5. The Herald gave these hours for full service:
- Monday through Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., with brunch
- Sunday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with brunch
Sunday is the day that changes the neighborhood most. A 10 a.m. brunch opening gives Galleria Boulevard a sit-down weekend morning option that didn't exist when this space did pizza by the slice.
The Old Tin Roof 2 Became The Rafters
The Carothers Parkway change is the biggest of the three, because the new owner says outright that he's changing what the place is for. Coyle appeared before the Franklin Beer Board on October 13, and Williamson Source quoted him describing the new business:
"It's a full-service, family-friendly restaurant and sports bar concept at where the Tin Roof 2 used to be. This is a brand new concept, new ownership with a new vision and most importantly new operational standards."
Coyle told the board he bought the assets, not the old business entity. He described the goal as a food-focused sports bar rather than a continuation of the late-night atmosphere. The hours he presented were 10 a.m. to midnight. The Rafters' website menu lists starters, salads, baskets and sandwiches, which is a lunch-and-game-day menu.
He fits the same pattern as the Serratos and POP. WhatNow Nashville reported that he also owns Another Broken Egg Cafe franchises in Bellevue and Murfreesboro. The Murfreesboro location, at 2615 Medical Center Parkway, opened this past summer.
Beer and liquor are a separate step. On October 13 the Beer Board put off a decision on the restaurant's beer permit for a month, to its November 10 meeting at 1320 West Main Street. If you're planning a game-day lunch with drinks, the meeting is listed on the city's meeting page.
Meanwhile, the Chains Closed
The closings were chain locations, mostly along Murfreesboro Road:
- O'Charley's Restaurant & Bar, 1202 Murfreesboro Road. WSMV reported that the Franklin location was one of several Middle Tennessee locations of the Nashville-founded chain that closed on the evening of September 9.
- KFC, 1319 Murfreesboro Road. Williamson Source reported in mid-August that this was Franklin's last KFC, and it has closed.
- Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes, 1560 W. McEwen Drive. Its closing was reported on August 21. The nearest Mooyah is now in Brentwood.
Two of these three were quick-service and the third was casual dining. That's the tier Cool Springs lost this fall. The tier it gained has private dining rooms, Sunday brunch and wood-fired ovens.
McEwen Northside Adds Its Own Mix
Across town, McEwen Northside's fall additions sit outside the Cool Springs pattern. Hawkers Asian Street Food opened at 4020 Aspen Grove Drive in early October. The menu draws on Malaysian, Thai and Singaporean food, and the co-founders are CEO Kaleb Harrell and brand chef Allen Lo, according to Williamson Scene. The development's directory also lists Paris Baguette as coming soon at the same address. The South Korea-based bakery café sells breads, pastries, cakes, sandwiches and coffee, and WhatNow Nashville reported that this will be its first Williamson County location. The August or September opening WhatNow expected has come and gone, and the café hasn't set a new date.
On the Cool Springs Boulevard, Galleria Boulevard and Carothers Parkway side, the rooms are familiar but the operators and menus are new. For a business dinner, Roots and its 40-seat private room are on Cool Springs Boulevard. For Sunday brunch with pasta and pizza, Bravado opens at 10 a.m. on Galleria Boulevard. For a game-day lunch with a basket menu, The Rafters is on Carothers Parkway.
At The Phillips Group, we keep track of how Cool Springs is changing, down to which old dining rooms got new tenants this fall. If you'd like a local's take on any corner of Franklin, from Galleria Boulevard to McEwen Northside, we're always glad to talk. Start Your Home Search with a team that pays attention to what opens down the street.
