Just like Florida Georgia Line itself, the bro-country duo’s Nashville bar is kaput. FGL House, which first opened its doors in June 2017 with a ribbon cutting by members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, has closed and will be replaced by a new Lainey Wilson venture.
The shuttering of FGL House marks the first country-star branded bar of the modern era to close in Nashville. TC Restaurant Group, which operates bars by the likes of Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, and, formerly, Florida Georgia Line, will partner with Wilson to create Bell Bottoms Up.
Wilson announced the opening of Bell Bottoms Up, set for this summer, on Tuesday. “I’ve always wanted to create a destination for all my fans to visit and create new memories at, in the heart of Country music city. So, to have a permanent destination in Nashville, is such a dream come true,” she said in a statement. “I can’t wait for all my Wild Horses to get to experience my home away from home.”
Wilson’s entree into Nashville’s Lower Broadway is a welcome bit of female representation in an entertainment district dominated by bro bars. (Morgan Wallen will open his “This Bar” over Memorial Day weekend.) It’s also the latest in a string of high-profile announcements for the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year: Her single “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” went Number One at country radio this week, she launched a collaboration with Coors Light, and she joined Keith Urban on his new song “Go Home W U.”
Meanwhile, the closure of FGL House — which served up the Wicked Chicken Sandwich, peach-pecan whiskey cocktails, and shots of Fireball for the last seven years — is the most visible nail in the coffin of Florida Georgia Line. The duo unofficially split in August 2022, and embarked on disparate solo careers. Hubbard released his second solo effort, Strong, in April, while Kelley drops the LP Tennessee Truth (featuring “Kiss My Boots,” a perceived diss track aimed at Hubbard) on May 10.
Somehow, throughout the separation, FGL House kept cruising. When RS asked Hubbard about the future of the bar in 2023, he said it was still operational. “I guess it’s a piece of history now,” he said. “But I’m proud of it — and we still sell a lot of cheeseburgers.”
Back in March, Eric Church opened his own Nashville bar, Chief’s, choosing to buck the current business model by purchasing the building outright. “This is ours,” he told RS. “It’s not something that I’m renting or leasing until the next artist comes along, then when that artist falls out of favor, all you do is change the sign out and it goes to the next one.”
