Learn additionally: “Patrons Mirror on Fido’s Heyday.”
As of late, once you stroll into Fido from the twenty first Avenue South entrance, you’ll see a Doomsday Clock-looking system hanging on the south wall, counting right down to June 1, 2028. That’s the date Fido shall be closing, on the finish of its present lease extension. It’s extra advance discover than eating places usually give clients, workers or landlords.
“That clock is such a Bernstein humorousness,” says architect Manuel Zeitlin, who labored on the Fido constructing design and is a longtime good friend and supporter of Fido proprietor Bob Bernstein and his firm, Bongo Roasting Co.
The countdown clock
As Zeitlin notes, Bernstein is thought for his offbeat humorousness and pranks. He’s also called a man who cares about espresso. In truth, Bernstein works from a desk at Fido many days, “not as a wanted particular person,” Bernstein tells the Scene, “however as a man who needs espresso within the morning.”
That’s actually how his complete enterprise began. Bernstein was a man who needed espresso, or extra particularly, coffeehouse tradition, and in Nineteen Nineties Nashville, there weren’t many choices. He left a profession in journalism and determined to open the form of espresso store he had studied at and frolicked in whereas rising up in suburban Chicago. He initially dreamt of a Hillsboro Village location — the realm was then a unusual assortment of outlets and small companies with a neighborhood really feel. He couldn’t discover the best area, so in 1993, he as an alternative opened Bongo Java on Belmont Boulevard, the place it nonetheless welcomes coffee-seekers immediately.
Trying again at three a long time’ price of affection connections, meals and post-movie hangouts on the Hillsboro Village cafe
It was Bruce Dobie, former Scene editor-in-chief, who launched Bernstein to his first investor within the early Nineteen Nineties. Dobie and Bernstein met whereas each have been younger reporters on the town (Dobie on the Nashville Banner, Bernstein on the Nashville Enterprise Journal). Bernstein says it was at all times simpler for him to seek out buyers than to seek out bodily area. (In that regard, possibly issues haven’t modified all that a lot.)
Three years after opening Bongo Java, Bernstein was able to develop and located a storefront out there on twenty first Avenue South in Hillsboro Village. He was planning to lease 1,200 sq. toes, however when the house owners of Jones Pet Store determined to retire, 3,600 sq. toes grew to become out there. Bernstein signed a 10-year lease. Individuals informed him he was loopy, he remembers, to signal such an extended lease in that neighborhood. Now, 29 years later, individuals may query a few of Bernstein’s selections — however seemingly not the actual property ones. He renewed the Fido lease a number of occasions, and because it ends in 2028, Bernstein must pay the market price to remain. He doesn’t know precisely what that quantity is, however is aware of it seemingly isn’t viable.
Over time, Fido has expanded into different adjoining storefronts, totaling greater than 5,000 sq. toes. The constructing is a century outdated, and in want of restore. (When Zeitlin and Bernstein initially designed Fido, they textured the partitions to make them look outdated. No distressing could be mandatory immediately.)
“I at all times name Bob an area hero,” says Zeitlin. “He caught his neck out and took dangers.”
The crew named Fido as an homage to Jones Pet Store, whose signal nonetheless hangs proudly over Hillsboro Village — and likewise in tribute (probably tongue-in-cheek, given Bernstein’s humorousness) to a legendary story concerning the canine of the goatherder who is claimed to have found the magical properties of espresso beans.
At present the corporate additionally owns Bongo East (which has its personal vibe and homes the Recreation Level Cafe), the unique Bongo Java on Belmont and the Bongo roasting facility; the corporate owns the actual property for all these properties. They license the Bongo Java title contained in the Omni Nashville Resort downtown and at Nashville Worldwide Airport. Bongo operates Grins Vegetarian Cafe on the Vanderbilt College campus, however doesn’t personal that actual property.
Not one of the Bongo Java properties are precisely alike.
“I at all times form of pictured [Fido] as Bongo Sr.,” Bernstein says. “It was prefer it was the little-more-grown-up Bongo, as a result of I used to be just a little older.” Because of this, Fido received’t reside on in any of the opposite places. The Recreation Level retail retailer subsequent to Fido is a part of the identical lease, so it’s going to additionally shut in three years. Bernstein hopes that retail outpost will be relocated elsewhere.
Bob Bernstein
For Nashville, Fido is extra than simply one other beloved espresso store that individuals are sorry to see go — it’s extra than simply one other signal of Outdated Nashville giving method to New Nashville. It’s the tip of an establishment that helped form the town’s neighborhoods and culinary scene. Within the Nineteen Nineties — first with Sundown Grill after which Fido — Hillsboro Village skilled a resurgence. It was the place to seek out unbiased eating places; establishments just like the Villager Tavern, the Belcourt Theatre and Pancake Pantry; and retailers like Bookman/Bookwoman, Davis Cookware and Pangaea.
Hunter Claire Rogers, a Nashville native and head of membership and communications at Soho Home Nashville, remembers these days. When she labored at since-shuttered retail store Hearth Finch, she stopped at Fido for a bagel and low every morning — Fido provided a reduction to staff of different companies in Hillsboro Village. She remembers hanging out at Fido, each as a College Faculty of Nashville pupil and later when it served as a reunion spot for pals returning residence for the vacations.
Bernstein appears to be like again fondly on these days. With plenty of different domestically owned companies, the neighborhood would sponsor Halloween occasions for teenagers to trick-or-treat from storefront to storefront. These types of issues are more durable to do, he says, when a lot of his neighboring companies are corporate-owned.
Bongo and Fido launched the careers of many of us who’ve formed Nashville’s culinary scene, together with John Stephenson of the now-shuttered Hathorne and Andy Mumma of Barista Parlor (which now has a location in Hillsboro Village too). The coffeehouse has been seminal to Hillsboro Village and to the town. Musicians and songwriters inform tales of writing songs at Fido’s tables. Many individuals have tales about Fido being the primary place they ate once they moved to city — quite a lot of inform the Scene it was initially as a result of Fido was open seven days per week in a city that used to have few restaurant choices on Sundays. Numerous {couples} met there, had first dates there. One such couple nonetheless plans to have their marriage ceremony at Fido in 2026 earlier than the lights are turned off, Bernstein says.
Bob Bernstein getting a cup of espresso at Fido
For all of Fido’s and Bongo’s strengths, there have after all been missteps.
Till the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Fido was open till 10 p.m., and it was the place to hang around and seize a chunk after a film on the Belcourt. When companies reopened post-pandemic, Fido simply couldn’t maintain evening hours, Bernstein says. At first, that was partly attributable to staffing, however extra so, the restaurant couldn’t generate the income to remain open late. (Present hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. day by day.)
“It simply doesn’t work anymore,” Bernstein says. “We would wish to get extra alcohol. We would wish to vary the entire menu. We have to possibly do another issues, and it’s like, how do you train the outdated canine new methods?”
In 2015, Sizzling & Chilly — the Bernstein-owned ice cream and paletas store within the area now residence to the Recreation Level retail retailer — introduced it might no longer carry Jeni’s Splendid Ice Lotions as a result of Jeni’s was planning a scoop store throughout the road. Sizzling & Chilly was the brainchild of Bernstein and his spouse Irma Paz Bernstein, proprietor of the beloved Las Paletas. Whereas some small enterprise house owners may make that call behind the scenes, Bernstein posted an indication on the door, and clients nonetheless have opinions immediately about whether or not that concern about competitors was warranted. (Jeni’s has a lot of places within the metropolis, together with that one on twenty first Avenue South.)
In 2018, Bernstein opened a espresso store on Jefferson Avenue first known as The Sit-In, and later known as Jefferson Avenue Cafe. There was backlash about utilizing the sit-in title, which Bernstein thought of an honor to those that fought in Nashville’s civil rights motion. “That was classes realized and an costly story to inform,” Bernstein says of the restaurant, which is now closed. “Essentially the most disappointing half is that individuals that absolutely backed me and thought it was an amazing thought and have been so supportive and glad and enthusiastic about doing it, as quickly as there was an argument, they walked away and left me out to dry.”
The choice to not prolong the Fido lease previous 2028 comes as Bernstein appears to be like at his personal future. He’s 63 years outdated, and whereas he doesn’t run the day-to-day companies on the cafes, he’s undecided how lengthy he needs to maintain up the lengthy hours of a restaurateur. He has a succession plan for every of the opposite eating places, ought to he resolve to step again.
“I received married late in life at 43,” he says. “My enterprise was established and all that. Most entrepreneurs discuss how their household life suffers due to their enterprise. Mine was the other. My enterprise form of stopped rising as a result of I spotted I’d relatively keep residence with my children, and I used to be lucky sufficient to be in a monetary place and have the shops working and have individuals in place that I may try this.”
Bernstein is aware of it’s uncommon to offer three years’ discover for a restaurant closing. He needed to offer clients an opportunity to come back again and patronize an outdated favourite, and he has already seen former staff — and their grown youngsters — come via. He additionally needed to offer staff discover, loads of time to know they’ve a job, and time to consider what’s subsequent. He is aware of this may make staffing tough as they pursue different alternatives.
Because the announcement, Bernstein says he’s been creatively reenergized in a method he hasn’t been in years. Meaning he’s seeking to resurrect fundraising dinners for causes that matter to him (largely training and the humanities) and to deal with neighborhood constructing. When Bernstein and his brother Kenny (who was additionally important within the constructing of Bongo, Fido and different initiatives round city) have been children, their mother used to create a “stuffed animal hospital” the place she would sew and restore their favourite stuffies. For about 5 years, Fido provided the same occasion, and Bernstein hopes to revive that.
“I had a lot pleasure and enjoyable opening this place,” he says, “I need to do the identical factor closing.”
