The Early Word: Whata-nope for burgers and why the city wants a hotel

Bianca Phillips By , Daily Memphian
Updated: September 25, 2024 10:42 AM CT | Published: September 25, 2024 6:24 AM CT Premium

Extra, extra, read all about it! It’s Wednesday, Sept. 25, and the new Archives Bar and Bistro opens today inside Downtown’s Hotel Napoleon. It’s so-named because its building was once home to the Memphis Press-Scimitar, and back in those days, print newspapers archived old physical copies and microfilm in a library.

Midtowners will have to drive out east if they want Whataburger. A controversial proposed location on Union Avenue was rejected by the Memphis City Council on Tuesday, because of the traffic concerns that come with a drive-thru restaurant. The chain would have been part of the redevelopment of the old Crump Station police precinct, but the rest of that project, which includes townhomes and a hotel, will carry on.

On Tuesday, we reported that the City of Memphis has plans to buy Downtown’s Sheraton hotel for $22 million. Once purchased, the city would transfer management to a group of local business people and ownership to a yet-unnamed nonprofit that would work on the hotel’s renovation. But why is the city getting into the hotel-buying business? It dates back to a 2018 investment — of more than $300 million with interest — for the renovation of the Renasant Convention Center and the city’s need for more hotel rooms to make that investment make sense.

Plus, much is made of a Mercedes in the Young Dolph trial, the Memphis-Shelby County Schools board has new leaders and we tell you about the greatest soul song that no one knows.

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Bianca Phillips

Bianca Phillips

Bianca Phillips is a Northeast Arkansas native and longtime Memphian who’s worked in local journalism and PR for more than 20 years. In her days as a reporter, she covered everything from local government and crime to LGBTQ issues and the arts. She’s the author of “Cookin Crunk: Eatin’ Vegan in the Dirty South,” a cookbook of vegan Southern recipes.


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