A family group led by 23-year-old Ohm Patel has signed a three-unit franchise agreement to bring The Brass Tap to Middle Tennessee — marking the craft beer and entertainment concept's first entry into the state. Locations are planned for Brentwood, Murfreesboro, and Franklin, three of the fastest-growing suburban markets in the Southeast. The deal was executed through FSC Franchise Co., the Tampa-based multi-brand franchisor that also operates Beef 'O' Brady's and Newk's Eatery across more than 250 locations nationwide.
The Market Opportunity
Middle Tennessee is not an accidental target. Brentwood, Franklin, and Murfreesboro have absorbed significant population growth over the past decade, driven by corporate relocations and residential expansion out of Nashville proper. For a suburban tavern concept built around craft beer, community events, and weekly entertainment programming — trivia nights, karaoke, live music, sports watch parties — that demographic profile maps well. The Brass Tap now operates in more than 50 locations across 16 states, and franchise leadership has publicly leaned into suburban positioning as a core growth lever. Chris Elliott, CEO of FSC Franchise Co., framed the signing directly: "Our development strategy is built on finding the right partners in the right markets, and Ohm and his family are a perfect fit for Middle Tennessee."
Operator Background
The Patel group brings a hospitality operating background that franchise development teams increasingly prize over pure capital. Ohm Patel graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in kinesiology and business before choosing franchising over a clinical career path. His father Chan, uncle Sanjay, and cousin Shivam round out the partnership — a family that has spent more than 20 years managing hotels and retail locations in the United States. That asset-operations experience matters for a concept like The Brass Tap, where labor-intensive entertainment programming and beverage inventory management require hands-on oversight. The group completed a site visit to an existing Brass Tap location in Huntsville, Alabama, and attended Discovery Day at corporate headquarters in Tampa before signing — a diligence path worth noting for other prospective franchisees evaluating the brand.
What This Signals for the Craft Bar Segment
The Tennessee expansion is a useful data point for operators and vendors tracking where entertainment-and-beverage concepts are deploying capital. Upscale American tavern formats — local and regional craft beer taps, specialty cocktails, chef-driven shareables, and a weekly events calendar — have found traction in markets where fast-casual saturation is high but experiential dining remains underdeveloped. Suburban corridors in the South and Southeast continue to absorb these concepts at a steady rate, and multi-unit family franchise groups with hotel and hospitality operating backgrounds are emerging as a reliable franchisee profile for bar-forward brands. For beverage suppliers, regional craft breweries, and entertainment technology vendors looking at distribution or partnership opportunities in Tennessee, the Brentwood opening will be the first proof point to watch.
For operators benchmarking their own franchise development strategy or evaluating entertainment-driven formats, The Brass Tap's suburban playbook — community programming, diverse beverage menu, neighborhood identity — offers a replicable model worth studying alongside broader beverage and menu trend data.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
