Pastured chicken
Emily Perry Wilson and chef Robbie Wilson are no longer at the helm of Lion’s Share, the Sylvan Park restaurant they opened with partners and investors in April of this year. Rifts between investors and founding chefs aren’t all that uncommon. Running a restaurant is hard and expensive, and visions change.
Said rifts aren’t typically as public as this one quickly became. Last week, the Wilsons, who had been co-founders and co-owners in the 4-month-old Lion’s Share restaurant, were abruptly forced out by the two other founding partners, Kent Kirby and Jim Caden. They found out when Kirby seemingly accidentally added Perry Wilson to a group text thread with other investors. The text indicated they planned to push the Wilsons out the following day, but with the cat out of the bag, it was followed up by an official email.
“It’s incredibly sad to walk away from our team and the concept that came entirely from Robbie Wilson’s brain,” Perry Wilson says.
She explains that they were not entirely surprised about the split. “It has been a difficult year-and-a-half,” she says.
There had been differences in their vision for the restaurant. Sales were down this summer after a robust launch — a summer slump is not uncommon in restaurants — and the owners and investors had been debating the next course of action. However, they were surprised by how the split happened and were disappointed that they could not help with a transition into what’s next and say goodbye to staff. The Wilsons met Kirby and Caden through their previous work at M Street Hospitality, the restaurant group that owns Virago and Kayne Prime as well as the shuttered Tavern and Whiskey Kitchen.
The timing of the ouster coincided with The Tennessean’s Mackensy Lunsford planning an article on the restaurant for which she had already interviewed the Wilsons. When they let her know what had happened, she broke the news of their departure.
Lion’s Share had a lot of buzz in its first four months. The restaurant marked chef Wilson’s return to Nashville, having previously been culinary director for M Street. The couple briefly moved to California, where Wilson earned a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Best Chef before returning to Nashville to open Lion’s Share.
Lion’s Share
Plus, locals had great affinity for McCabe Pub, the 41-year-old neighborhood spot that closed in 2024 and had strong opinions about what should take its place. The team behind Lion’s Share reportedly put $4 million into the Murphy Road McCabe space to upgrade it for the new concept.
While the Wilsons are no longer involved in Lion’s operations, they still own one-third of the restaurant. Perry Wilson says they are in negotiations regarding that part of the deal. The couple plans to remain in Nashville and is optimistic about new projects in the works.
Kirby and Caden declined to be interviewed about what’s next. Through a spokesperson, they confirmed that Lion’s Share and its second-floor private event space would remain open during the transition and provided a statement.
We’re grateful for the Wilsons’ contributions and wish them the best in their next venture. Our focus remains on our guests, our team, and the continued success of the restaurant as we return to the original vision for Lion’s Share. While there are no confirmed details to provide at this time, we’re confident in the new direction of the restaurant and look forward to sharing more soon.
Those familiar with the project say it will be converted to Lion’s Share Tavern, a more casual pub. The process is expected to start immediately for a switch in September.
The initial Lion’s Share construction took longer than expected. While that was taking place, in 2025 the team opened SuperNormal nearby, a quick-service burger and soft-serve spot with a large outdoor space. They didn’t reopen SuperNormal in 2026 because they were focused on Lion’s Share but had planned to do so. Kirby and Caden also declined to comment on the future of SuperNormal.
Historic corner lot trades beer for Champagne in seven-figure fine-dining makeover
In its months in business, Lion’s Share garnered very different reviews and opinions from the public. Some didn’t appreciate the fine-dining experience where they traditionally had experienced a pub (although the bar distinguished itself from the more refined dining room with offerings like a separate menu and a Tiny 'Tinis Matinee Happy Hour). Others appreciated having fine dining without having to go downtown and liked the serene environment, being in a restaurant where you could actually talk and have a conversation, the attentive service and attention to detail, such as butter served in artistic ribbons. The fine-dining menu included raw kanpachi and other fish, live-fire meats and heirloom vegetables, and was accompanied by a fine-dining tab pricier than some were willing to pay, although consistent with M Street concepts like Kayne Prime.
Despite how it ended, Perry Wilson says the couple is proud of their work at Lion’s Share and of the attention the menu received. The couple released a public statement:
The other two primary shareholders at Lion’s Share have determined that, after just four months of operations and during the traditionally slower summer season, they would like to take the restaurant in a different direction — a full rebrand that is much more casual — with material changes beginning as soon as September. As a result, we are no longer involved in the operation of Lion’s Share.
This is heartbreaking for us. We moved back to Nashville and poured our hearts and souls into Lion’s Share over the past two years, creating a restaurant we were incredibly proud to introduce to this city. We felt very positive about the restaurant and the experience it delivered, the loyal following it was building, and the momentum we had created heading into the fall. It is very difficult to depart before the restaurant had the opportunity to come close to reaching its potential.
Most importantly, we want to express our sincere gratitude and admiration for the incredible team at Lion’s Share. We are deeply proud of them and of everything we accomplished together in such a short period of time.
We are also aware of forthcoming press recognition for Lion’s Share, which delights us. Whatever recognition comes is a reflection of the extraordinary work of our team and of what we created together, and we will be immensely proud to see them receive it.
We wouldn’t trade the experience of creating Lion’s Share or the relationships that came from it. And while this chapter has ended sooner than we ever imagined, we are already at work on what comes next. We look forward to sharing it soon.
