Despite opening just one year ago, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen has temporarily closed for the second time. A sign on the door of the Nashville hot chicken-inspired restaurant from ABC’s The Chew cohost says it’s “taking the time to retool.”
“The cracks were starting to show in the front of the house. The food was really good, but it takes people and organization to really execute this in a perfect way,” Hall tells Eater. “We lost our general manager a few months back, and from that point on, things just started to go downhill. So I’m like, ‘I won’t do mediocrity, and I will shut it down.’”
Hall says despite jumping in as much as she could herself, “I can’t be here all the time.” So now she’s on the hunt for a managing partner, who can also bring in some funds to the business, which she and CEO Jerry Levin hope to eventually replicate elsewhere.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Hall’s first restaurant. Beyond operational issues, Hall and Levin hinted at slower business during the winter months, and they were forced to temporarily close in August after a kitchen fire. “It’s a learning curve,” Hall admits. “I’m on a national show, and I think people think that it’s easier for people on television, and it’s not. If anything it’s harder because of the expectations.”
Hall anticipates being closed for about three weeks.