Modern Love Comes to the Fairlane Hotel

Over the years, the Fairlane Hotel lobby has been home to residencies by some of Nashville's most talented entrepreneurs: Max and Kayla Palmer from Bagelshop (now in Donelson), Kate Cunningham at By the Bottle and Gage Speas of Three Horses Hat Co.

Now Ben Clemons and Jamie White — the entrepreneurs behind Pearl Diver and Tiger Bar — have launched their first downtown business inside the Fairlane. Modern Love is an all-day cafe and evening bar and nighttime dance spot with all the flawless decor and carefully thought-out menus for which Clemons and White have become known. 

Modern Love has two “personalities,” according to the team: Early Bird and Night Owl. Early Bird is the coffee shop and lunch spot for hotel guests and locals who need a caffeine boost before a meeting in the nearby Arcade or courthouse. The setup is in the reconfigured hotel lobby, which — thanks to its giant windows — remains one of the city’s best people-watching corners.

When the clock hits 3 p.m., Early Bird turns to Night Owl. From 3 to 5 p.m., Night Owl offers a happy hour with classic cocktails, frozen drinks, wines and beer. At 5 p.m., there’s a global-inspired menu with fritto misto, ribs and salads, and then late-night bites, with a pared-down menu from 9 p.m. to midnight. Late-night snacks include hot chicken sandwiches and flatbreads, BLTs and burgers. In a nod to the Fairlane location, the cocktail menu includes drinks born in hotels, such as Vieux Carré and the Rob Roy. Other options include hard cider, seasonal drinks and tinctures that can be added to other beverages.

The backdrop of all of this is a 1960s aesthetic that works in the 1970s Fairlane (a hotel reconfigured from an old bank building, with terrazzo floors and wood paneling). On the Fourth Avenue North side is “the cube,” a room with funky primary color lighting, a pool table, and a lounge area with a TV and a couch. The Union Street side features the main entrance to the hotel lobby and the restaurant seating for Modern Love, plus four stunning light fixtures spelling out L-O-V-E. The dance floor and DJ booth take up a section of the lobby, but there’s still plenty of room for lounging and taking photos of yourself surrounded by swanky, low-slung MCM furniture if you need a break from cutting a rug.

The result is a place that seems prime for locals and hotel guests alike, whether folks are looking for a night on the town or a place to get a nightcap before retiring to their room. Or to paraphrase the lyrics of the late David Bowie's “Modern Love,” it's for when you know when to go out, know when to stay in.