Barbecue joint Jim ’N Nick’s now has twice as many stores as Baskin-Robbins does ice cream flavors.

When the leadership at Amelia Gene’s asked their liquor distributor if he knew anyone who could be their sommelier, he replied, “What do you think about me?”

And the result is creative menus, more customers and, sometimes, new restaurants.

Monique Williams, owner of Biscuits & Jams, has stepped in as executive chef at a Cajun-style restaurant in Bartlett.

Local taco trailer chain TacoNGanas will soon have its first drive-thru location, while a Harbor Town resident said his sports bar is a “natural fit.”

The landowner of a proposed Chick-fil-A has filed a petition in Shelby County Chancery Court against all five aldermen, alleging they are in contempt of court. A chancellor ordered them to approve the new restaurant in February.

“We’ve been discerning this for a long time,” said co-founder Kristin Fox-Trautman. “We wanted the closing of the business to be an inspiration to the community in keeping with our mission and our brand.”

Collierville could get 7 Brew on Poplar, and staff has recognized that stacking cars on the Shelby County thoroughfare could be an issue. 

Almost every Friday, Mara Daniele and her grandpa, Doug Duncan, meet for lunch for their “Around the World in 80 Plates” series. So far, they are about a fourth of the way around the world. 

The Binghampton cafe that opened with a mission of helping the community is closing its doors after seven years.

The chefs describe the menu as a playful, elevated approach to classic American tavern fare. 

Dr. Bean’s Coffee & Tea, founded in 2010, will be sharing the building with coffee repair-and-maintenance shop Jambards Coffee Equipment.

Han Square is opening, in part, in a former Life Church space in Cordova and will include the international market, a Southeast Asian food court, retail tenants and full-service restaurants. 

“It’s been difficult for quite some time, but it just got to the point where, you know, we just really didn’t have much of a choice,” said partner and general manager Mike Johnson as the restaurant closes its first of two locations. 

Eight local ice cream venders. Four flavors each. Unlimited samples. 

While Taco Prime and Petals of a Peony expand, Peach Cobbler Factory opens and The Farm Table closes.

Josephine Estelle is not the place to be watching carbs. It has nine housemade pastas on the menu, ranging from spaghetti with meatballs to agnolotti stuffed with rabbit.

The late-night cookie chain Insomnia Cookies will soon open its third Memphis store on Winchester Road. Tekila Group opened its newest concept in Senatobia. A Downtown patio area up for debate.

Owner Chris Moore said they weren’t planning to open the Downtown location of Chef Flavas until mid-June, but now they are offering to-go orders from the new restaurant.

“We know we can do oysters. We want to make sure this new menu crushes,” said the co-owner of No Comment as it transitions to a restaurant with an Indian-Italian flavor. 

Ben Smith opened Tsunami, a Pacific Rim-themed restaurant, in July 1998. He closed it this past February but would like to see it become a restaurant again.

After 12 years, the fondue restaurant is expected to return to the Memphis market in late 2026 or early 2027 inside a former Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza.

“We’ve always wanted a cocktail, steakhouse-y kind of restaurant,” said Andy Ticer of the second-floor bar at his and Michael Hudman’s new restaurant. 

Winning pitmaster Jacey Blurton, 13, began manning the grill five years old, taking up barbecue after three surgeries left her with limited mobility.

For the second year in a row, Heath Riles BBQ claims top prize in the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The team also won first in the ribs category.