Ben and Max Goldberg of Strategic Hospitality

I’m at Pinewood Social on a Thursday morning with brothers Ben and Max Goldberg, who are nestled into one side of a booth, a quiet testament to their familiarity and complete comfort with one another - in life and in business.

Chances are you’ve eaten at one of their ten places which include Pinewood Social, Merchants, Henrietta Red, Bastion, Downtown Sporting Club, Paradise Park Trailer Resort, The Catbird Seat, The Patterson House, The Band Box, and one they opened during the pandemic, Locust. On this Thursday in June, the hostess stand was jammed with folks waiting to be seated. Indeed, their restaurants are thriving post pandemic, which the brothers are quick to say is a credit to their staffs. Ben and Max are of the complete opinion that “it takes a village.” And they love theirs. They kept their employees fed while closed through this past year and relied on them for inventive ways to stay open and relevant throughout. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation.

Have things changed post pandemic?
Max: “The response from people has been fantastic. We’re all a little more battle hardened. We were all kicked in the teeth, but we’re back up and inspired. And Nashville is so great, because we have a great community.”

Ben: “I get asked all the time, ‘Nashville is booming. Why?’ and my answer has been the same for a dozen years: the community of restaurants in Nashville are always cheering each other on. And that has made things blossom into the magnificent community we have. Then the pandemic hits and I’m like on 17 text threads where we’re all helping each other. We’ve all leaned into each other more as a result. We recommend each other’s restaurants all the time. That doesn’t happen in other cities.”

Where do you eat when not eating at your places?
Max: “Martin’s Barbeque, Arnold’s, and City House.”

Work philosophy?
Max: “I read that we’re the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time with.”

Ben: “Oh great, I’m screwed because I spend so much time with you.”  

Who started what?
Ben: “When I moved back from college, a friend and I opened Bar 23 in the Gulch, across from Station Inn. I was 23. Max was living in NYC, and I begged him to move home and work with me for about 3 years until he did. That was 14 years ago this August and since then we’ve opened a place every year.”

Max: “Ben just saw this energy about Nashville even back then. And honestly, I didn’t see it.”

Who’s older?
Max: “Ben by 4 years. I’m 38 and Ben is 48.”

Ben: “Oh…. mom would kill you.”

How is working with your brother?
Ben: “Well, we have some ‘valleys’ …There are times it’s the greatest thing and other times when it’s hard. But even during the hard times, I never have to question his intention or integrity, and that is so rare. I just inherently know that (he’s) we’re in it for the right reasons, and that’s the coolest thing in the world and I’m so lucky.”

Max: “[Ben] will be my business partner for the rest of my life in whatever we do. And we laugh most of the time. Our moral compasses are aligned. And there’s a really cool trust that happens because we’re brothers. We also push each other which ultimately gets us a better product.”

Who is your biggest critic?
Max: “Our mom. She is outwardly our biggest supporter and will say everything was perfect, then will call us with the 9 things that were wrong. She once came to The Catbird Seat once with some out-of-town friends. We screwed up and had to accommodate a critic from the NY Times. So we had to kick her out 3 courses in. She (laughed) but also never lets us forget it.”

Do you guys cook?
Ben: “I love to cook, but don’t much. I have a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old, so it’s a comedy show at my house.”

Max: “I cook a mean tater tot. And I love to grill.”

How do you feel about chain restaurants coming into Nashville?
Ben: “There are people that enter Nashville the right way and truly get to know the community. They are awesome. And there are other people that look at Nashville as a money grab and just another checkmark and those make me sad.”