Three restaurants — Ben & Jerry’s, Velvet Taco and Sushi 88 — were added to the Taste of Nashville program in Spring 2023. The Ainsworth was removed from the program and has since been renamed TMRW Social House, while Cabana Taps closed.
A no-trespassing notice was posted on the exterior of Cabana Taps, stating that the occupants were evicted by their landlord on Nov. 7, 2022, by the Metropolitan Nashville General Sessions Court. Cabana Taps did not respond to The Hustler’s request for comment.
Olivia Moore, an employee at TMRW, formerly known as the Ainsworth, explained that the restaurant has undergone a change in management. It will still operate as a sports bar, restaurant and private event space like Ainsworth, but with a new menu. Although the restaurant does not currently accept Commodore Cards, she said she believes that the restaurant is likely to partner again with Vanderbilt in the near future.
“We are currently not accepting the Vandy card because our system is still relatively new, but I do think that we might accept them later on with a couple of events coming up in March,” Moore said.
In a statement emailed to The Hustler, Campus Dining said it is in the process of adding two new restaurants in addition to the most recent three additions and a potential collaboration with TMRW.
“We are discussing whether or not [TMRW] want[s] to continue their Taste of Nashville partnership based on their new structure,” the statement reads.
First-year Leon Mhingiro said he is excited about the addition of Ben & Jerry’s to the Taste of Nashville. Ashley Thompson, a Ben & Jerry’s employee, said more students have visited the shop since the store was added to the card.
“Honestly, I was happy they added an ice cream place that was closer to Commons than Jeni’s. I tried ice cream from both places, and I like ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s better. In my experience, they were cheaper as well,” Mhingiro said. “On the downside, they don’t have a good sitting place like at Jeni’s.”
Ysabel Gomez, a sophomore, said her goal is to expand her palette and try more restaurants on Taste of Nashville in the wake of these new additions.
“I like the variety of Taste of Nashville. I haven’t gone to Sushi 88, Velvet Taco or Ben & Jerry’s yet. I’m excited that they have added another ice cream option that I can go to along with Jeni’s and Sarabhas,” Gomez said.
Sophomore Lamiya Adri similarly said she is excited that Velvet Taco and Ben & Jerry’s have been added to the program.
“I’m a fan of Chicken Tikka taco from Velvet Taco, which I would say definitely works the best for me to go there more often as they added the Commodore Card to it,” Adri said.
Elliott He, a Sushi 88 employee, said he is excited for more students to come to eat at the restaurant.
“We are happy to partner with Taste of Nashville, and we welcome students to use their Vandy cards here. We only use fresh ingredients and make sure that our customers are happy every time they eat here,” He said.
