At the newly opened Sally’s Stay Awhile in Wedgewood-Houston, it’s not uncommon for patrons to drop by for a coffee and pastry in the morning, head back for a lunch meeting, and then stay until the restaurant’s happy hour starts at 3 p.m. And by the time the lights are dimmed and the candles lit, friends or family might even join them for dinner.
“In a lot of restaurants, the conversation turns to the business side very quickly — how many covers, average check and table turn times,” says Benjamin Goldberg, who founded and co-owns the parent restaurant group, Strategic Hospitality, with his brother, Max. “We really try to create spaces where that’s not the topic of conversation internally for us. We just want to have a fun, vibey restaurant that people feel great being in — even if they stay longer than they would in a traditional restaurant.”
Sally’s Stay Awhile epitomizes this philosophy, serving classic American fare with a twist seven days a week. They serve brunch until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and have a 3 to 6 p.m. happy hour daily. A free 30-space parking lot — a rarity in Nashville and practically unheard of in Wedgewood-Houston — makes frequent visits that much easier.
“My friends come in all the time,” Benjamin says. “And they joke with me regularly that they can day drink here with no judgment.”
The 1935 building at 611 Wedgewood Ave. was most recently a restaurant (Smokin Thighs), but it’s also been a grocery store and an auto shop. Embracing its industrial roots, the Strategic Hospitality team, working with Manuel Zeitlin Architects and Landy Gardner Interiors, pretty much gutted the space. But they left the cinderblock walls and raised the ceiling, revealing exposed beams and ductwork.
In keeping with the goal to make the restaurant “casual, fun and quirky,” in the main room, they flanked turquoise painted-glass and wood tables with two-toned salmon and off-white banquettes. The dark-blue ceramic tile and concrete bar seats eight. They found many of the accent pieces at estate sales and vintage stores — think a metal auto shop rolling cart that now holds silverware and glasses, or a weathered pale-pink and dark-green sign that reads, “WE ARE RESTAURANT PEOPLE!!”
The eatery, which accommodates 66, features two rooms — with an additional 34 seats on two dog-friendly patios.
Tradition with a Twist
The restaurant has given classic brunch menu items, like waffles, a new spin. After some serious brainstorming with Andy Little, director of culinary operations for Strategic Hospitality, the team created Sally’s signature croissant waffle — topped with vanilla glaze and peaches.
Guests love the mozzarella schnitzel appetizer, a riff on classic mozzarella cheese sticks, served with tomato sauce for dipping. The dinner menu offers everything from a double cheeseburger to pan-roasted salmon. Desserts include rice pudding with pistachio crumble, dried cherries and caramel cream.
The Art of the Matter
Many of Sally’s walls are dotted with pencil drawings by Nashville-based artist Jeff Stamper, depicting people and places important to the Goldberg brothers. Subjects include Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, the late restaurateur Randy Rayburn, since-closed Vandyland and the shuttered Paradise Park Trailer Resort, a Strategic Hospitality venture.
“It’s very approachable and comfortable without this forced care around making sure the lighting is absolutely perfect to showcase some $100,000 piece of art,” says Benjamin. “I don’t really care about that when I go out to eat.”
Fair Pricing
It was important to the Goldbergs that customers could have a great time — and not break the bank. The most expensive item on the menu is a flat iron steak au poivre with fries, for $32. “I don’t think there’s anything that says something that’s less expensive, more approachable, and casual inherently means it’s not as delicious,” says Benjamin.
And the cocktail menu, too, is accessible and fun. Offerings include the Pinkie Swear, with Proper gin lemon, grenadine, grapefruit and Angostura bitters.
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