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Story Highlights Michelin-trained chefs to open SOS Counter in Franklin this fall. SOS Counter will offer family-friendly, fast-casual dining options. Ryder Zetts was the opening executive chef at The Optimist. Michelin-trained chefs are bringing their culinary chops to Franklin with a new fast-casual eatery. Husband-and-wife Ryder and Michaella Zetts and Jessica Chow — who together have 90 years of industry experience — will open SOS Counter at Highwoods Properties’ Park West building, at 701 Cool Springs Blvd., this fall. “We’re doing a lot of family-friendly food. I’m going to have a soft-serve ice cream machine. I want families to come, whether that’s workers that are picking up their kid from the daycare when they’re done, or just locals coming by for lunch and letting their kids run around in the park. It’s just easy, accessible and something you can repeat a couple times a week,” Ryder Zetts told the Business Journal.After working in restaurants across the country, the Zetts moved to Nashville in 2019 when Ryder landed the executive chef position at The Optimist. When the pandemic hit, he began making meal kits out of The Optimist’s kitchen, keeping that blueprint in his back pocket even when The Optimist was back up and running, and Michaella launched her Sourdoughs of Somerset business out of their home, which quickly took off. Too many thousands of loaves to count and many catering gigs and meal kits later, the Zetts started scouting real estate in the Brentwood/Franklin area. They never considered going into an office building until John Mudgett, founding partner of brokerage firm New South Commercial, told them about a former ground-floor cafeteria space. “When I learned about the cafeteria space being decommissioned, I immediately thought of SOS Counter. They’re not just clients, they’re dear friends, and we’ve supported their bakery for years,” Mudgett told the Business Journal in an emailed statement. “At New South Commercial, we’re excited to bring unique and new concepts to the community. SOS Counter is going to be an incredible addition — not just for the building, but for the area. It tied perfectly into the brand-new Well Coffeehouse, beautiful park and mixed-use complex.” Everyone is bringing something to the counter — Michaella Zetts will continue her sourdough loaves, baguettes, ciabatta and more; Ryder Zetts will craft a menu offering salads, sandwiches and soups; and French-trained baker Chow will serve her laminated pastries and Asian-influenced desserts. They will also eventually offer a take-out meal option — allowing families to come together for a home-cooked meal without the stress. While SOS Counter will focus on quick-service, the quality of the food aims to mirror that of the team’s fine-dining background. “I wanted to create a spot where someone feels like they could eat there multiple times a week and that’s definitely from a price standpoint, but also just from using real ingredients. … It’s definitely going to be a few salads and a lot of options to add quality protein like Joyce Farms chicken. We’re going to do some pressed sandwiches on our country bread and a housemade burger on Jessica’s milk roll,” Ryder Zetts said. “It’s going to be food that people definitely recognize. … I want it to just be quality done the right way.” SOS Counter will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and while it hopes to capture the office buildings' tenants, the Zetts and Chow also hope it will become a gathering spot for the whole community.

A local broker launched a new Nashville brokerage that caters to the city’s growing population of California transplants. John Mudgett launched New South Commercial, a commercial real estate brokerage that will serve “the new city that’s emerging.” Mudgett, previously a broker at Foundry Commercial’s Nashville office, moved to Nashville from California nearly five years ago. When looking for a brokerage to work for, he remembers seeing a gap in the market that he still sees today. “I assessed the commercial real estate landscape and realized there were no boutique firms with deep local roots and a creative edge, nothing like the nimble, high-integrity shops I had cut my teeth in. That lit a spark,” Mudgett told the Business Journal. Mudgett joined Foundry’s office leasing team in the midst of the pandemic which was one of the “most challenging assignments” he could have taken on. His success inspired his launching of New South Commercial, a one-man shop for now, that focuses on landlord and tenant representation and investment sales. Like Mudgett, many of the new residents, investors, developers and companies moving their offices to Nashville are coming from the West Coast. Nashville’s size and investment activity was a big draw for Mudgett, but there are many lessons he’s taking from his California days into his new firm. “Living in Southern California shaped my design eye. It was an epicenter of architecture, planning and adaptive reuse long before it was trendy. That background gives me a deep sense of what West Coast investors and office users are looking for,” Mudgett said. “I see opportunity here in Nashville to meet that demand.” As far as demand goes, Mudgett sees plenty of it out there for a new brokerage to find a space in the market. “With so much residential momentum in Nashville, I’ve seen many residential brokers dipping into commercial. This space requires a different kind of strategy. There’s a wide-open need for high-quality commercial brokerage with a strong point of view on design, branding and strategic positioning,” Mudgett said. “That’s where New South thrives, and there’s plenty of room for us to keep growing.” When Mudgett and his wife decided it was time to relocate, they knew the answer was Nashville. The tremendous growth they’ve seen in the last five years was proof that Music City was the right choice both personally and professionally, and Mudgett doesn’t see it slowing down anytime soon. “Nashville is growing at a pace that can’t be ignored. The question now is, ‘How do we steward that growth?’” Mudgett said. “It’s about meaningful development that brings people together — adaptive reuse, revitalization and projects that respect the past while serving the future. Helping bring buildings back to life is one of the most rewarding things I get to do.”

The distress is also rocking the suburbs, where Maryland Farm’s Westpark office building is set for a Jan. 16 foreclosure auction.

Philips Plaza is under contract to be sold, according to multiple real estate sources.