Culinary Dropout Coming to Franklin, TN at McEwen Northside

Culinary Dropout Is Coming to Franklin

Franklin's McEwen Northside corridor keeps adding to its dining roster. Culinary Dropout — the nationally recognized gastropub concept from James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Sam Fox — has filed for a business license in Franklin at 4020 Aspen Grove Drive, Suite 101, at McEwen Northside.

The Franklin location will be the fourteenth Culinary Dropout across six states, joining a portfolio that includes locations in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Tennessee. The restaurant lists Franklin as "coming soon" on its website.

What to Expect

Culinary Dropout has built its following on a combination of scratch-made comfort food, a serious craft cocktail program, and a laid-back atmosphere that manages to feel both casual and worth showing up for. The menu anchors around crowd favorites — soft pretzel bites with provolone fondue, 36-hour pork ribs, and fried chicken with honey — alongside rotating seasonal dishes and a strong salad program for the health-conscious half of the table.

The gastropub format, with live music and outdoor seating as standard features, makes it a natural fit for McEwen Northside's walkable mixed-use character.

Franklin Context

Culinary Dropout joins a McEwen Northside dining lineup that already includes Perry's Steakhouse, Flower Child — another Sam Fox concept that opened in Franklin in 2025 — and Hawkers Asian Street Food. The corridor is becoming one of the more compelling dining destinations in the city for residents who don't want to fight downtown parking on a Friday night.

Sam Fox's decision to bring a second concept to Franklin within a short window is a signal worth noting — operators at that level follow genuine demand, and Franklin's growth is clearly generating it.

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Sources: Williamson Source, Culinary Dropout website

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