Pearl Diver, a high-profile East Nashville neighborhood cocktail bar and restaurant with a tropical vibe, has changed ownership hands.
According to a release, the business is now owned by Working Man Ventures. A Nashville-based hospitality group, Working Man Ventures, which includes Jacob Forth, Steve Perdue and Edward Lipnickas, has ownership interests in restaurant consulting firm One Consulting Group; bar and grill Maggie’s Place and cocktail bar Perfectly Fine, both located in The Nations; and Tiger Bar, an east side neighborhood bar with a 1930s circus sideshow-inspired vibe and menu.
Founding owners Ben Clemons and Corey Ladd, who launched the business at 1008 Gallatin Ave. in 2018, seemingly have sold their interest in the business.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in the release.
The change in ownership comes after Clemons and Ladd were joined earlier this year by Forth, Perdue and Lipnickas in ownership of both Pearl Diver and Tiger Bar.
The release notes Pearl Diver is now offering a “tropical barbecue menu, a refreshed cocktail list, a new chef (John Humphries), new management and new staff.
“We’re giving Pearl Diver a fresh chapter without losing what people already love about it — the atmosphere, the escapism and the feeling that you’ve stepped into somewhere completely different,” Perdue says in the release. “John Humphries, our new management team and our staff are focused on making Pearl Diver one of the most fun and memorable places to eat and drink in East Nashville.”
The Pearl Diver bar opens at 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The kitchen is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
