Mulan promises five more years in Cooper-Young
Mulan, located in Cooper-Young, still has five years on its lease, according to the restaurant’s owner. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Despite recent news about Big Bad Breakfast opening a second Memphis location where Mulan Asian Bistro has been for more than 10 years, Mulan co-owner Matt Kan says that his restaurant is staying put. Or it is for five more years at least.
On Wednesday, April 27, The Daily Memphian reported that John Currence, owner of Big Bad Breakfast, planned to open his second Memphis location in Cooper-Young, in the space currently occupied by Mulan. The area’s first Big Bad Breakfast, which opened in October 2021, is located in East Memphis.
Currence didn’t give a firm timetable for his move into Cooper-Young but said, “At some point, we’re going to dig into that building, start working on it — there’s a lot to do — and we’ll get in.”
Mulan responded on Instagram later that night, posting, “Big bad nothing but a sad rumor going around.”
On Thursday, April 28, Mulan’s Kan told The Daily Memphian, “I have no idea why they’ve announced that they are putting Big Bad Breakfast in here. We have our lease for five more years. We are planning to stay.”
“As I understand from my partners, they’re on a month to month,” John Currence said. “But if that’s not the case, we’ll figure something out. If Big Bad is down the road, then it’s down the road. It’ll happen.”
Mulan has been at the corner of Cooper Street and Young Avenue for 10 years, and Kan said that the confusion from Currence’s recent comments is hurting his business.
“The business went down 30% since the news came out,” Kan said. “People are calling and asking, ‘Are you open? Are you closed?’ We are definitely still open.”
Kan says the restaurant renewed its five-year lease with former property owner Ryan Properties Inc. last November, about five months before the March purchase of the property by a regional restaurant group. Representatives for Fresh Hospitality, which comprises two dozen brands, including Big Bad Breakfast, City Silo and Taziki’s, have not yet responded to The Daily Memphian with comments regarding their intentions for the property.
The only notification that Kan has received was an email alerting him to the change in ownership, along with information on where to send rent payments. The amount of the restaurant’s rent has not changed.
Kan says time will tell on the long-term future of Mulan Asian Bistro.
“We’d love to stay and serve the people in Midtown, but it’s up to the new owners and how the lease negotiation goes.”
Topics
Mulan Bistro Big Bad Breakfast Cooper-YoungJordan Arellano
Jordan Arellano is a freelance journalist for The Daily Memphian writing about art, culture, food, and travel. Find her at Overton Bark with her three dogs or scouting out the best vegetarian food in town.
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