I had a conversation with the GM of the restaurant group that runs Ben-Yay’s Gumbo Shop, the New Orleans-style restaurant at 51 S. Main, yesterday. He told me they’re going to start doing late nights. They’re calling it a service industry night but it will be open to all, basically a late-night happy hour. It will be 10 PM to 3 AM Thursday through Sunday, and if it does well they may consider extending it to 7 nights a week.
The Westin Hotel near Beale Street has updated its look in all its rooms and common spaces. Cool fact I didn’t know: Guests can rent a Gibson guitar, an amp, and headphones and rock out.
From the CA: Chef Tam of Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe out in the Edge District has opened a soul food superstore. She wants the experience of her restaurant to extend beyond simply dining in, and offers all the equipment she thinks you need to have in your kitchen. If you want to fry a turkey at home, for example, she has everything you need to do that. If you can’t make it to the store’s physical location at 668 Union, you can shop online.
Fans of the New Wing Order food truck take note: It’ll be at Cordelia’s Market Wednesday evening from 5 to 8.
Carolina Watershed will hold a “Bikini Tops and Flip Flops” party this Saturday, September 4, all day starting at 11 AM. DJ Decepticon and DJMO will provide the tunes.
A 7000-square-foot event space known as the TriStar Space will open in the Emerge Building at Tennessee and G.E. Patterson next month, the Memphis Flyer reports. The space includes the 3rd floor and also the rooftop and can seat 125 or hold a standing-room-only crowd of 200.
That’s it for today. Kind of a slow news day which is normal for a Tuesday. Back tomorrow with more.