I always find it interesting that some folks reflexively look down their noses at a restaurant if it is part of a chain. Certainly there are some genuinely soulless outposts of national chains out there, but I'm not certain that just because a restaurant is an iteration then it is necessarily inferior. Plus, very few chains open up in multiple locations right off the bat. Would we think less of City House or Marché if Tandy or Margot opened new locations outside of Middle Tennessee? Did you stop loving Burger Up when they spun off to Cool Springs or Baja Burrito when Blue Coast was born?
Stoney River Legendary Steaks falls into the category of a small chain, with ten locations spread between here and Maryland. While there is certainly the big corporate money of O'Charley's behind the restaurants, each location prepares their own food in house and there is no commissary cooking used. You'd be hard pressed to even find a microwave in a Stoney River, which is certainly not the case at O'Chuck's. Each location is architecturally unique, but they do share decor elements like lots of stone (duh), black leather booths and chairs and at least one red canoe somewhere in the dining area.
The West End location was saddled with the footprint of Rio Bravo, which occupied the space before the current tenant moved in. This is the most urban and urbane location of the chain, and after being open six years they figured it was time for a little remodeling. The first thing they did was to remove the massive fireplace that confronted diners when they entered the front door. While it was impressive, the hearth really closed off the restaurant and hid the lively bar scene. They also removed a wall that divided the bar from the main dining room and replaced it with several clever pass-through booths that are now the most-requested dining locations in the restaurant. From these banquettes, diners can keep an eye on all the action, and general manager Michél R. Johnson can track the pace of service from his station near the front desk or at the bar. (Nice gig.)
