A family franchise group led by 23-year-old Ohm Patel has signed a three-unit agreement with The Brass Tap to open craft beer bars and entertainment venues in Brentwood, Murfreesboro, and Franklin, Tennessee — the brand's first foray into the state. The deal, which also includes Chan Patel, Sanjay Patel, and Shivam Patel, signals continued suburban expansion for the 50-plus-unit upscale American tavern concept operated under FSC Franchise Co.
The Buildout Plan
Each of the three planned locations will carry The Brass Tap's full program: an extensive selection of local and regional craft beers on tap, specialty cocktails, premium wines, and a chef-inspired food menu, plus dedicated entertainment infrastructure for live music, trivia nights, sports watch parties, karaoke, and community patio events. That programming footprint requires a commercial kitchen capable of supporting elevated shareables and a full bar service model simultaneously — a more complex back-of-house specification than a standard sports pub. The group plans to open the Brentwood unit first, with Murfreesboro and Franklin to follow, though final site selections remain flexible as the partners evaluate real estate across the market.
For operators and foodservice consultants tracking suburban bar-and-grill expansion in the Southeast, the Tennessee deal reflects a broader shift toward entertainment-driven dining formats that demand versatile kitchen layouts and robust cold-side infrastructure. Concepts like The Brass Tap — built around a large rotating draft selection — require dedicated walk-in cooler capacity, glycol draft systems, and sufficient cold-storage volume to manage both a rotating craft beer inventory and a full culinary program. Consultants specifying these kitchens must account for the dual throughput demands of a bar-forward front of house and a scratch-prep-oriented back of house. Coverage of similar operator expansion stories with kitchen buildout implications reflects how frequently these suburban tavern formats are driving new commercial kitchen investment in secondary markets.
Market Context
The Brass Tap is part of FSC Franchise Co., a Tampa-based multi-brand franchisor whose portfolio also includes Beef 'O' Brady's and Newk's Eatery — a combined network of more than 250 locations nationwide. Chris Elliott, CEO of FSC Franchise Co., described the Patel group as a strong fit for Middle Tennessee's growth profile. The brand has been franchising for more than a decade across 16 states, and the Tennessee agreement marks its latest push into high-growth suburban corridors where disposable income and demand for neighborhood gathering spaces are both rising.
The deal also illustrates a generational shift in foodservice franchising, with younger operators — many from hospitality family backgrounds — increasingly selecting full-service bar concepts over fast-casual entry points. Ohm Patel cited his family's two-decade history managing hotels and retail locations in the U.S. as central to the group's confidence in taking on a multi-unit entertainment venue commitment. For equipment dealers and reps covering the Tennessee and broader mid-South market, three new full-service tavern buildouts represent meaningful opportunity across refrigeration, draft beverage systems, prep and storage specification, ventilation, and cooking equipment categories.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
