The Black-owned pizza joint founded by three friends is expanding to the Nashville Airport, inside of Concourse C at BNA. It’s expected to open in September of 2023 and will serve a menu of build-your-own pizzas, cinnamon rolls, and will also offer beer. An exact address for the storefront has not yet been released.
Founded and co-owned by Clinton Gray, Derrick Moore and Emanuel Reed, Slim and Husky’s currently has three Nashville locations and one food truck, as well as locations open in Antioch, Memphis, Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. Outside of Tennessee, there are two Atlanta locations and even one in California.
The successful restaurant originally got its start on a shared dream inside of a garage in 2015. According to its website, “The clever name came from a joke the longtime friends have been laughing about for years. One of them has always been a slim guy, but the other two were always big fellas, forcing their mothers to shop for clothing in the children’s husky section.”
Since 2015, Slim and Husky’s has garnered a lot of attention over the years, including recently being nominated as a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist for the Outstanding Restaurateur award. They were also named the second-best pizza restaurant in Nashville, according to The Tennessean food reviewer Brad Schmitt.
Slim and Husky’s aims to serve a greater purpose than just being another pizza joint. They strive to give back to the community through providing jobs to their original neighborhood in North Nashville, which they note as being impacted by gentrification.
A representative from Slim and Husky’s could not be immediately reached for a comment.
