Beloved Memphis restaurants look to pasta, cheesesteaks and combined concepts
Tandem Restaurant Partners’ Front Street Deli reopened last week with a new sandwich menu, plus a new quick-service pasta concept inside. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Memphis restaurant group Tandem Restaurant Partners is about to shake up its family of restaurants.
“We have three new QSR concepts we are excited about,” said Tony Westmoreland, who owns the restaurant group with his wife, Stephanie.
QSR stands for “quick-service restaurant,” those eateries characterized by fast service, a casual atmosphere, limited seating and a focused menu.
The couple’s restaurant portfolio includes a combination of original concepts — such as Sugar Grits, Ben-Yay’s Gumbo Shop and Flip Side — as well as several restaurants, such as Zinnie’s and Side Car, they bought to preserve beloved Memphis brands.
Tony and Stephanie Westmoreland, of Tandem Restaurant Partners, own Flip Side, a pinball pub near Crosstown Concourse, among other Memphis restaurants. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)
“Full service is becoming very difficult,” Westmoreland said. “I am not sure how sustainable it is. So we are pivoting to make our company more profitable.”
Pasta and sandwiches
Front Street Deli reopened last week with a new sandwich menu, plus a new quick-service pasta concept inside.
Pasta Cosa Nostra is build-your-own pasta the Westmorelands developed with Nick Scott, the chef and owner of Alchemy.
Inspired by a grab-and-go pasta concept Scott saw in Venice, Italy, customers can create their own pasta dishes by choosing from a variety of housemade sauces and toppings.
“‘Cosa Nostra’ means ‘our little thing,’” Westmoreland said. “We will be serving pasta in Chinese food containers for people to take and enjoy at work or at the new (Downtown Memphis Art Museum) when it opens.”
Scott explained that he saw a gap in the market for pasta at lunchtime.
“It’s designed to be convenient,” he said. “It’s a quick and easy way to get pasta.”
Cosa Nostra is opening with four different types of pasta, a selection of sauces such as Bolognese, marinara and pesto as well as proteins like meatballs, chicken and shrimp.
The 48-year-old Front Street Deli was an example of an iconic Memphis restaurant Tandem bought to save. Located at 77 S. Front St., the restaurant was closed for three years for renovation.
It reopened briefly this spring but was quickly shut down again after just about a month. Westmoreland said the opening operating partner did not work out.
The Westmorelands then enlisted chef Duncan Aiken to design a sandwich menu for the deli’s relaunch. Westmoreland explained that now they are making everything in-house at the deli, including the bread.
One of the offerings, the “Stone Hero,” is an Italian sub with ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, mozzarella, Sambal aioli, lettuce, tomato and white balsamic vinaigrette.
Zinnie’s will reopen later this summer. (The Daily Memphian file)
Zinnie’s and Philly Cheesesteaks
Zinnie’s has been in the Westmorelands’ portfolio for the past five years. Westmoreland purchased the popular Midtown bar when it closed in 2018 after 45 years.
When Zinnie’s reopens later this summer — it’s been closed since June for renovations — its menu will be focused on Philly Cheesesteaks and it’ll be called Zinnie’s Phillys.
Westmoreland said he hopes the Philly Cheesesteak menu will be one they can duplicate in other places.
In addition to Zinnie’s new menu, visitors can expect upgrades to include a piano, new booths, updated bathrooms and a no-smoking policy.
Southern fried chicken with a twist
Uncle Red’s Turkey Legs is slated to open in the former Salt | Soy building at 2583 Broad Ave. this fall. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
The Westmorelands purchased the restaurant space at 786 Echles St., in what used to be Avenue Coffee, to originally be the home of their Uncle Red’s Turkey Legs.
But that concept, which was created by Christopher “FreeSol” Anderson and Tony Westmoreland, is now set to open in the former Salt | Soy building at 2583 Broad Ave. this fall.
“We have spent a lot of time and money renovating the Echles building,” Westmoreland said. “So we had to come up with a concept that would work there.”
That’s where Aiken re-enters the picture.
Aiken and Westmoreland are designing a third quick-service concept, this one centered around Aiken’s “famous Memphis original gangsta fried chicken.”
Aiken came up with his sweet and spicy fried chicken recipe in 2016, and it became a popular dish on his former Rogue Chefs food truck.
“The sauce is made from a gastrique, Sambal, Sriracha and a few other things,” he said. “I have been working on the recipe for years, so the fried chicken keeps its crumb and still stays crunchy.”
The menu will feature Southern fried chicken with Aiken’s signature sauce as well as sides such as cornbread, greens and mashed potatoes.
Gangsta Fried Chicken is set to open later this year.
Changes at Ben-Yay’s and Sugar Grits
Tandem Restaurant Partners also own Carolina Watershed at 141 E Carolina Ave. in Downtown Memphis. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian file)
In addition to the new QSR concepts, the Westmorelands are also making changes to their Downtown restaurants, Ben-Yay’s and Sugar Grits.
This week, Ben-Yay’s moves from its original location at 51 S. Main St. and becomes part of the offerings at Sugar Grits, located at 150 Peabody Place.
“Think of it as North Carolina Low Country meets New Orleans Creole,” Westmoreland said.
The couple has combined these two concepts once before, at a location in Jonesboro, Arkansas, they opened in 2023.
Westmoreland said the decision to combine the two in Memphis was due to the lack of foot traffic on Main Street.
Carolina Watershed is also part of the Tandem Restaurant Partners portfolio. This property has been closed for several months and is currently for sale.
Topics
Tandem Restaurant Partners Tony Westmoreland Stephanie Westmoreland Nick Scott Zinnie's Front Street Deli Ben-Yay's Gumbo Shop Alchemy Free Sol Sugar Grits Carolina Watershed Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Jennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
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