In the world of football, sometimes a head coach gets fired midseason and an assistant is elevated with an “interim head coach” designation for the remainder of the season. The new coach leads the team for the rest of the year with hopes of having the “interim” tag removed and winning the full-time job. Well, that’s what has apparently happened at Arnold’s Country Kitchen.
When we broke the news that Kahlil Arnold and family were reopening Arnold’s for a Thanksgiving pop-up and then for an extended and open-ended reopening while they considered options for their valuable Gulch real estate, the crowds lined up like some sort of Black Friday meat-and-three opportunity. The news media showed up to film crowds wrapping around the building to welcome back the Arnold family and digging into their iconic brand of Southern cooking — and the parking lot remained full for weeks while the extended pop-up ... well, extended.
Get ready to slide those red trays down the line again for 'one last goodbye'
I don’t know if it’s a “once bitten, twice shy” situation or if the uncertainty of the future discouraged longtime fans from resuming their regular Arnold’s rotation when it came to lunchtime choices, but the crowds have ebbed over the past weeks. Business is still fine, but the sense of urgency seems to have gone away, and at the same time, the regulars haven’t quite been willing to fully commit to their longtime favorite for fear of seeing it snatched away again and rebreaking their (our) hearts.
So I spoke with Kahlil Arnold earlier this week, and he had some big news. "We’re not just popping up," says Arnold. "We’re back!” Apparently, the family has taken the property off the market and is plunging straight ahead at full speed for the foreseeable future while Kahlil investigates further expansion opportunities. (More on that in the coming months, hopefully.)
Yes, they’ve taken off the “interim” tag and are planning for the beloved meat-and-three to continue as an ongoing venture. They are maintaining their regular Monday-through-Friday hours — 10:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. — for the full Arnold’s experience, including the rotating menu of daily specials with an eye on soon expanding to Saturday brunch service again.
That means you’ll soon be able to tuck into a plate of Kahlil’s famous 7-Up pancakes with Nashville hot chicken tenders, along with other favorites like biscuits and gravy, and sliced roast beef. Kahlil has always been proud of his pancakes, fluffy and flavorful, and breakfast was always a favorite meal of his late father, Jack. Kahlil’s first stint in a commercial kitchen was cooking breakfast in his dad’s restaurant, so those pancakes come straight from the heart!
Follow Arnold’s on Instagram if you want the first news about when the weekend party starts, but it should be sometime in early May. Kahlil plans for the restaurant to be open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. once they commit to Saturday service. So there’s no reason any more to be reluctant to visit during the week anymore for fear that this treat might be suddenly snatched away. (Don’t make a liar out of me, Kahlil!)
Go ahead and add Arnold’s back to your regular weekday lunch rotation and look forward to a fantastic new Saturday option. More Arnold’s is always a good thing!
