First look at the East Memphis LYFE Kitchen

LYFE Kitchen is moving its headquarters to Memphis and opening two restaurants in the area.

The move comes after Chance Carlisle was named the new CEO of LYFE last May. Carlisle is the CEO of Carlisle Corp.’s Wendy’s operator Wendelta Inc, and he recently purchased the former Sharky’s at 6201 Poplar Ave. and is on the development team for turning the historic Chisca Hotel into apartments.

Both buildings will house a LYFE kitchen, and the hefty redesign work is being done by architecture firm Hnedak Bobo Group.

HBG has designed over 40 privately-owned restaurants across the country, but LYFE Kitchen provides unique challenges according to Rob Lee, principal, and Thor Harland, designer on the project.

“This has a lot of different areas to consider,” Lee said. “Whether it is the person coming in to buy their meal for take-out or there's a curbside situation where you can order your meal and just dash in, grab it and leave. And then there's the sit down portion as well, so there are multiple things to consider.”

The Poplar restaurant is the largest and only free-standing building across LYFE Kitchen’s six-state presence. The HBG design solidifies a new brand standard for further restaurants moving forward.

In keeping with the brand’s farm-to-table aesthetic, HBG has designed “a modern expression of the barn profile,” according to Harland. In addition to the barn-like roofline, the restaurant will have sliding barn doors and a full window wall for ample natural light in the 55-seat main dining room.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy a 40-seat outdoor dining patio at the East Memphis location. HBG added ceiling fans, full-shade covering and a row of trees on the western side to make outdoor dining an attractive possibility during Memphis’ long summers. Other seating options will be available at the bar and lounge and private dining area designed for meeting spaces.

Both locations will feature staples of the LYFE brand, an open-air theater kitchen and living herb wall. “It underscores the fresh attitude that they're doing. You'll actually see people preparing the food right there,” Lee added.

The 6,000-square foot East Memphis restaurant is currently undergoing construction and is expected to open mid to late July.

The restaurant at the Chisca Hotel will retain some of the building’s historic fabric, Lee said. The ornate entryways and ceilings will be emphasized in the design. The Downtown spot will have table and bar seating for 85 people and a large patio space with around 60 seats. It is still in design phase and is expected to be completed in the fall.