Construction halted on new downtown diner over sidewalk width

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

Construction on a new 24-hour restaurant has been halted until a decision is made on how wide the sidewalk around the business will be to meet MDHA requirements.

The Diner would be a four- level restaurant serving food 24-hours a day at the corner of Demonbreun and Third Avenue South.

The restaurant is being opened by the owners of Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Rippys Bar and Grill and Honky Tonk Central on Broadway.

However, The Diner will not be a honky tonk, nor will it feature live music, according to General Manager Jonathon Scott who is helping with the design and layout of the restaurant.

I was super excited. It was right in my wheel house, he said. I am a food guy. I worked at The Palm and Steakhouse for the majority of my career, so I was excited to have the chance to be a part of the 24-hour diner.

Owners of The Diner told News 2 during construction, NES required the builders to construct an underground vault to house transformers.

During construction of the vault, the walls of the building became unstable and the crew demolished them. That meant the majority of the building was demolished and changed how Metro classified the construction project.

Initially, the owners planned to keep more than 50% of the existing structure, so the city classified the project as a remodel.

Once the majority of the building was gone, the city then classified the building project as new construction. That then gave MDHA jurisdiction over the project because MDHA oversees the Rutledge Hill Redevelopment District where The Diner would be located.

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Construction halted on new downtown diner over sidewalk width