This has been the year of adaptation, as many businesses have had to reconsider their long-standing operations in order to better cater to folks staying home during the pandemic.
"Ghost" or "cloud" kitchens — essentially a delivery-only food model operating out of existing restaurant facilities — aren't necessarily a new concept, but one we have been seeing an influx of locally as dining restrictions have been implemented across Ohio and Kentucky.
Most recently, The Tavern Restaurant Group, the team behind Greater Cincinnati eateries The Pub, Nicholson's and deSha's, have decided to launch two.
The group announced via a press release on Dec. 15 that they have opened cloud kitchens The Pub Fish and Chips and Nick’s Southern Kitchen in order to "expand sales and offer more variety to at-home diners."
Owner Nick Sanders was inspired to create Nick's Southern Kitchen, which launched in November, through his upbringing in the South, where "meat and three" concepts were prevalent.
Nick's Southern Kitchen offers three main options — meat and three, meat and two and meat and one — which includes your choice of buttermilk-fried chicken with gravy, beef pot roast, homestyle meatloaf or cornmeal fried fish; sides include three cheese mac, country green beans and cornbread and honey butter.
If you've ever dined at either of The Pub locations, you know that fish and chips are no stranger to The Tavern Restaurant Group, but the idea of having a fish and chips-centric eatery, also known as a "Chippy" in England, was born in 2017 after the restaurant was named "Best Fish and Chips in the U.S." by London's Greene King Brewing.
Due to the pandemic, and the success of Nick's Southern Kitchen, they have added a delivery-only Chippy to their portfolio called The Pub Fish and Chips, which will begin offering fish and chips plus "other favorites you would expect to find at a Chippy," this week. (Both Pub locations are still open.)
According to the press release, "Both concepts are being executed by a team in the deSha’s kitchen at 11320 Montgomery Road. They are available within a 5-mile radius of deSha’s, exclusively on DoorDash with $0 delivery fee on orders over $15."
