The Downtown Memphis Commission’s Center City Development Corp. awarded the owner a $30,000 Retail Tenant Improvement Grant on Wednesday, March 19, for interior and exterior improvements.

“Coffee brings people to the table,” Cxffeeblack founder Bartholomew Jones said.

More than 10 of the restaurants participating in this year’s Memphis Black Restaurant Week haven’t been open a full year yet. 

Here’s some juicy info. 

“A haven for the arts” returns as Java Cabana reopens, and the new owners plan to bring back open mic nights and keep the aesthetic the same. 

“We are not going anywhere as Comeback,” said Hayes McPherson, co-owner of the Pinch District coffee shop, which will continue producing coffee sodas and locally roasted coffee. “Things are just going to look different.”

Memphis is getting a new happy place. Plus, a local bakery is on pause after a fire broke out. 

The space that is now Cafe Ole will close as a Mexican restaurant Friday, March 7, and will reopen in the coming weeks with a new concept and menu.

Neely’s involvement with “Bluff City Life” began behind the scenes, as a producer, before she stepped into the role of host.

The forgivable loans will fund facade improvements, streetscape changes and interior design.

After both working at Cordelia’s Market on Mud Island, Robert and Erica Humphreys bought the business earlier this year.

Recent documents filed with the Division of Planning and Development said a local restaurant group is the proposed tenant for 5000 Poplar Ave.

Raising Cane’s will go in a former Red Lobster, Shawarma King is open for dine-in, to go and events and the Grecian Gourmet Kitchen opens to the public.

The new restaurant will be located in the former space of Highlander Restaurant & Pub, which closed last year. 

Though Lucchesi’s used to sell its products in grocery stores, a USDA rule change several years ago forced the company to pull its casseroles from stores. But now they are back with a full line, new partners and plans for growth.

Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman’s Enjoy A|M Restaurant Group is expanding again. 

For the third time in four months, a Tops Bar-B-Q restaurant caught fire, leaving three of the city’s 13 locations closed. 

Hopson’s Espresso Print Coffee Shop is part of a growing number of coffee shops opening on the west end of Bartlett.

In addition to competing, barbecue teams will have the opportunity to sell select menu items to attendees. 

At Hard Times Deli, from the local trio behind the Secret Smash Society, the sandwiches are considered works of art. 

Plus, Kura House opens in the former Bhan Thai restaurant and where in Memphis to get a plate of baby shower eats. 

The Department of Homeland Security said agents with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations arrested three Mexican nationals unlawfully present in the U.S.

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Still more questions than answers one day after TacoNGanas raid

The new restaurant will be able to seat up to 200 guests, and chefs Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer said it will differ from their former New Orleans restaurant of the same name. 

With new owners, former staffers and a ton of upgrades to the building, Barksdale’s reopening brings a mix of old and new. 

From now until March 9, Girl Scout cookies are being sold across Memphis. For six bucks a box, you can get one of nine different options, although Thin Mints and Samoas are the most popular.