Longtime Nashville bar Red Door Saloon is preparing its third location for the Nashville market.
Ric Clarke and Kelly Jones are planning to bring the brand to Donelson, setting up shop at 2715 Old Lebanon Pike. The spot formerly housed Fletcher’s Pizza.
The hospitality duo first opened Red Door Saloon in 2002 in Midtown. They expanded to East Nashville in 2004 and opened an outpost in Destin, Florida, in 2008. This will be the fourth location for the brand.
Clarke told What Now Nashville that they plan to offer the same menu and design as the other Red Doors, a brand that has been consistent over the past 24 years.
“They are primarily just a great neighborhood bar. We started out with a concept and, unlike the times, we’ve never changed our concept. We’ve grown and expanded,” Clarke said. “This one will be the same in the sense that it’s just another neighborhood bar.”
The Red Door Saloon has touches of Chicago in its design, with Cubs and Bears memorabilia that pay homage to Clarke’s Chicagoan roots.
Clarke’s goal is to appeal to locals, both at the location in Florida and the ones in Nashville. Clarke and Jones aim to do the same at the Donelson location.
“One of the philosophies I have advocated since our first day in business: our business is there as an addition to, not an instead of. It’s all about being a good neighbor and promoting your neighbor as well,” Clarke said.
The menu features items like sandwiches, wings, shareable bar bites, burgers, hot dogs, pizzas and fried catfish. There are also plenty of beers on tap.
“Donelson is a very strong up-and-coming neighborhood, like East Nashville was a number of years ago,” Clarke said. “It’s the type of neighborhood we like being in. There are a lot of other restaurants and bars in the neighborhood and it’s continuously growing so we just felt like it would be a great fit for a Red Door.”
Clarke said they recently obtained their building permit and are just beginning construction. He predicts they are about four months out from opening, though the timeline is subject to change based on renovations.
“We’re very excited, not just because we get to grow and be more successful, [but also because] it means a lot to us to see people happy,” Clarke said. “We’re looking forward to being part of Donelson. We’re not just another bar moving into Donelson. We’re looking forward to being part of it.”
