Fort Street Galley Replaces Korean Seafood Spot With a Hot Chicken Food Stall

Fort Street Galley has introduced its newest food stall tenant. A restaurant called Table serving Nashville hot chicken and burgers replaced short-lived Korean seafood restaurant Pursue on Friday, May 10, the Detroit Free Press reports. Table is operated by the food hall developer Galley Group. The menu was developed chef Phill Milton, who runs another food stall called Home at the Smallman Galley in Pittsburgh.

Milton’s menu features Southern food such as shrimp hushpuppies, chicken and biscuits, and pulled pork. A dish called “Meat and Potatoes,” features short rib ragout and parmesan gnocchi. Prices range between $7 and $16. During brunch, diners can expect options like smoked salmon avocado toast and Nashville hot biscuits and gravy.

Galley Group describes itself as a restaurant incubator. It’s original lineup of restaurants pitched their concepts through a competitive application process and were selected by a panel of local judges and Galley Group representatives. As part of the agreement, restaurants sign on for a minimum of a year at the property. Galley Group covers the cost of the buildout, the insurance, utilities, and marketing for partnering restaurants, while the restaurant owners cover inventory and labor expenses. Each stall pays 30 percent of its monthly revenue in place of rent. It’s designed to be a lower risk testing ground for restaurants than opening a brick-and-mortar establishment.

Table’s arrival came just over a week after Pursue officially closed down operations due to low sales. Pursue’s chef and owner Mike Han told Eater that he was placed in a 30-day “remediation period” in April. During that probationary period, Galley Group asked Han to adjust the sustainable seafood menu at Pursue and make more dishes “approachable” to drive sales. Han chose not to make the changes, because he felt the suggestions didn’t fit his vision for the business.

It was the second time in Galley Group’s four-year-history that it’s canceled a food stall contract early. Benjamin Mantica, one of the co-founders of Galley Group, said that all of the restaurants initially faced challenges at Fort Street Galley, but had slowly gained momentum since the opening in December with the exception of Pursue. “I think it’s important with these big concepts to have a pretty solid level of approachability and I don’t know if we necessarily achieved that right off the bat,” Mantica said.

Table joins Filipino spot Isla, Israeli sandwich destination Allenby, “healthy” barbecue joint Lucky’s Noble BBQ, and cocktail bar Magpie at the food hall.

• New Fort Street Galley Restaurant Has Trendy Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich on Menu [Freep]
• Fort Street Galley’s Korean Seafood Restaurant Is Closing After Less Than a Year [ED]
• All Fort Street Galley Coverage [ED]
• All Openings Coverage [ED]