“The Originals”: Fear of Outsiders in the Tennessee Restaurant Space
In a city that has seen such explosive growth over the past several years, it is reasonable to expect that there would be some pushback and frustration from locals. The restaurant industry has certainly seen this, as so many entrepreneurs and restaurant experts are moving to Nashville from other parts of the country to have some stake in the economic growth. Some born-and-raised Nashville restaurant folks are resistant to this change; this can be evidenced by an association called “The Originals” that was created by local restaurant owners. They created a website that promotes dining at “original” Nashville restaurants, like Americano, Cabana, Fido, Martin’s Bar-b-que, and Peg Leg Porker.
The choice to call this group “The Originals” is perhaps symbolic of a greater fear in Nashville of outsiders. There is an opposing effort in the city encouraging Nashvillians to dine at restaurant owned by immigrants, especially during questionable times for immigrants in the United States. Websites like the Nashville Scene promote eating at immigrant owned restaurants, like Epice, Smiling Elephant, and Thai Esane. The support of immigrants has been a prominent political topic in Nashville and is rooted in a greater history of exploitation in the south.
John T. Edge wrote a novel called “The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South”, which New York Times reporter Margaret Renkl analyzed in an article as she explored the city with Edge. His novel was about the idea of exploitation of African Americans by white southerners. He comments, “To patronize a restaurant of people who are different from you can be kind of a booty call”. Edge writes about how white southerners patronized restaurants owed by black people during the Jim Crow era; they got food and got out of these restaurants as soon as possible.
We still see the effects of these ideas in Nashville, as there is this debate over supporting “The Originals” and those who want to support immigrants and minorities, really valuing alternative culture and cuisine. The immigrant population is one of the fastest-growing out of all cities in the U.S., and the restaurant industry is one of the primary employers of immigrants, which bodes well for labor and staffing.
However, the safety of immigrants in Nashville is not guaranteed. Famous chef Anthony Bourdain commented that “every restaurant” would shut down if Trump enforced his deportation plans for millions of undocumented immigrants. Bill Haslam also recently chose to allow a measure banning sanctuary cities to become law in Tennessee. New hiring restrictions mean that it’s harder for restaurants to turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants seeking to work in their restaurants.
Ultimately, these issues are closely tied into the restaurant industry and its future in Tennessee.