Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer originated in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood in 2015 before expanding to food capitals across the Middle East, Europe and Asia. With a handful of prominent New York spots, Black Tap established itself in Las Vegas as well as in the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Now, an additional U.S. location in downtown Nashville at 211 Commerce St. can be added to that list when it opens in November 2022.

The innovative burger joint is a popular stop for its award-winning burgers, refreshing craft beers and iconic CrazyShake® milkshakes. Luckily for fans of the restaurant brand, according to co-owner Julie Mulligan, Nashville’s Black Tap will offer a lot of the same top sellers across the board on its menu. Mulligan is one half of the restaurant’s founding duo alongside her husband Chris Barish.

Typically, “80% of the menu are core offerings, and 20% - we play around,” Mulligan said. By that, Mulligan means that about 20% of the menu for a specific Black Tap location incorporates a local flair flavor-wise to complement the beloved classic dishes which are available. While a confirmation hasn’t been made, there supposedly have been talks of the inclusion of Nashville’s famous hot fried chicken.

“Nashville is a city that we’ve always liked and we’ve always been drawn to,” said Barish. The pair lived in Music City previously in June and July of 2020 when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were most deeply felt. However, despite most food options only offering pickup options back then, Barish and Mulligan managed to explore parts of the area’s vast culinary scene and taste many of the local restaurants’ unique dishes for themselves.

“We got a real appreciation for the city during the time, and we thought that Black Tap would be a good addition to the city. We thought Nashville should be on our expansion horizon.” Barish shared.

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211 Commerce St. was chosen as Black Tap Nashville’s new home as it’s right in the heart of downtown with plenty of parking spaces - a rarity in the neighborhood. Also, its convenient address provides a greater opportunity to introduce Black Tap to the widest possible audience.

Although catering to the locals during weekdays and catering more to visitors during weekends is a potential ongoing scenario, it's also possible that the crowd frequenting the eatery can ebb and flow during the week. With both possibilities in mind, there is an expectation that a mix of locals and tourists on Broadway will both be drawn in to the establishment, “Everywhere we go, we want to be ingrained in the local community,” Mulligan stated. “At the end of the day, it’s really about creating a fun environment that’s accessible for everyone.”

Black Tap is currently pursuing an expansion initiative to set up a presence across six states in the U.S. and in nine countries globally. Following the opening of the downtown Nashville restaurant and two more in Dallas and Miami, Black Tap’s portfolio will include 21 international locations.

Barish added, “It’s a continually evolving culinary scene. To bring our unique concept to Nashville - we’re excited.”

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Black Tap aims to attract locals and tourists in downtown Nashville