Crosstown Brewing Co. has broadened its menu to include more than lagers and ales.
Starting this week, you can buy burgers, pizzas, chicken wings and more inside Crosstown’s Midtown taproom, 1264 Concourse Ave.
And it’s all being made “in house” — in a new kitchen that was built just off the taproom.
Crosstown had a soft opening this week, but the kitchen will be officially open on Friday, May 24, starting at 11 a.m.
The new kitchen is a big change for Crosstown’s co-founders, brewers Will Goodwin and Clark Ortkiese, who can now add the title of “restauranteur” on their resumes.
They told Memphis Beer Blog that the expansion was a necessary move to keep pace with the growing and competitive brewery scene in Memphis.
“The brewery world has shifted a lot in the last 10 years,” Ortkiese said. “It’s not enough anymore to just open the doors and sell beer.”
In addition to providing pub grub for the lunch and dinner crowd, the new kitchen will allow for catering for private events at the brewery, such as corporate events or rehearsal dinners.
Over the years, Goodwin and Ortkiese have relied on food trucks to park outside the taproom to provide food options for patrons.
But some trucks have closed up shop, and not all trucks have been reliable.
And when there isn’t a truck onsite, especially during lunch and dinner hours, that’s had an impact on business.
“If people can’t count on food, they’re really only going to come to you during certain hours. And, so, it’s really just trying to become more of a full-service offering,” Ortkiese said.
Planning Crosstown’s kitchen, menu
Initially, Crosstown’s owners were thinking about small ways to add food to the brewery’s offerings.
“We started out thinking panini press, microwave and crockpot, just really low key,” Goodwin said.
“But then as we got into it, it’s like, ‘well, is that enough?’ … That wasn’t going to move the needle as much as it needed to.”
So they went bigger, building out a full kitchen with an oven, fryer and griddle.
Goodwin and Ortkiese looked to some of their partners and friends in the Memphis restaurant scene for advice on the project.
Ultimately, they chose a setup and a menu they felt they could execute and do well — with food that met the same standards that people expect of their beer.
“Price point was important for us,” Ortkiese added.
“We didn’t want to go crazy on pricing. It’s a beer place, you know. It’s not a place to get tuna tartare. There are breweries that do it that way, and that’s fine. But that’s just not us.”
The menu (see images below) is simple and includes a lot of things Goodwin and Ortkiese like to eat themselves, such as “smash” burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and pizzas.
It also includes appetizers such as warm pretzels and “Memphis style” chicken wings. For kids, there’s a cheese pizza and chicken tenders with fries.
Crosstown has a new kitchen manager to oversee operations, and has also hired cooks and servers. The brewery is still looking for some additional servers to bolster the staff.
Crosstown’s regular kitchen hours will be:
- Monday-Tuesday: 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Wednesday-Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Each night, the kitchen will remain open until an hour before the bar closes.
To order, patrons will place their order at the bar, get a pager, and then come back to the bar to grab the food when it’s ready.
