Ginna Allen
News Editor
The Blue Chair will reopen in early February with an ownership handoff from well-known village leaders Jimmy (C ’73) and Sarah Wilson (C ‘89) to longtime community member Rick Wright. Wright will be joined in this venture by John Clark (C ‘82). Renamed “the Blue Chair Tavern,” the business has undergone various changes including renovations, a logo redesign and menu alterations.
Jimmy Wilson described his time at the Blue Chair as “a journey and an adventure.” He said his decision to step back ultimately came down to a “beginning of a new chapter in our life and to focus on our other businesses in Destin and Gulf Shores with the property management companies that we own and spending more time with our granddaughters.”
Despite the bittersweetness of the change, Wilson said his family will remain members and active supporters of the Sewanee community. “We will be patrons at the Blue Chair, but we are retired and have taken a step back. Of course we will still be available for guidance and support.”
As the new owner, Wright will work in partnership with John Clark, a Sewanee alum and Chattanooga developer who has been a presence in the village for many years. Clark also owns the strip of businesses anchored by the Frame Gallery on U.S. 41A. When seeking a new buyer after parting ways with his former partner, Wilson noted that Clark was the one who first approached him about someone interested in taking over the business. That someone was Rick Wright, who told The Purple that he and Clark are committed to continue serving the community through the Blue Chair Tavern.
“The Tavern has had 15 years of community engagement, and we want to continue that,” Wright said. “Essentially, we’re a third space. It’s not your home, it’s not your work, but it’s where you go to feel safe and comfortable. This has been a third space for the community for a long time, and we want to make sure that continues. We will continue the collaborations that were ongoing before, and we will develop some new ones as well.”
Wilson expressed confidence in Wright’s abilities to continue his vision for the Blue Chair: “He will do justice to the goodwill we have created over the last 15 years.”
Wilson and Wright both noted that they worked together during the pandemic to provide free meals to local police officers, firefighters and public workers. “Jimmy is an incredible man. Just gregarious, and everyone loves Jimmy,” Wright said. “He’s always been kind to me. We used to work together occasionally when I was here. I would help him out and he would help me out, just like we all do with our community partners. And I’m sure he’ll be back around.”
Wright has deep roots in the University, with his experience on the Mountain extending to 11 years as the Executive Chef and Director of Dining Services at McClurg Dining Hall from 2010 to 2021. A post from the Sewanee Dining Facebook detailed Wright’s work at Sewanee and how he “prioritized the student experience and engagement, nutrition and food education, and building strong community connections. Under his leadership, Sewanee Dining became known for their from-scratch cooking and healthy dining options, an increase in local purchasing, and co-curricular collaboration across campus.” Wright also played a key role in helping feed kids suffering from food insecurity by making McClurg into a major provider for the South Cumberland Summer Meals Program. Through his advocacy, hundreds of meals are made in McClurg to be delivered to 21 different sites in three counties during the summertime.
In his time at the Blue Chair, Wright has already conjured new menu offerings with mindfulness toward pricing and affordability. “Everything is a price point based on the demographic of students and working people. We want to be that common ground, and we want everyone to feel welcome here. So when you look at the menu, you can find something for $8 and you won’t find anything over $18. You’ll be able to get a good hearty meal that’s healthy,” Wright said.
The Blue Chair Tavern’s social media has featured teasers of what’s to come, including Nashville Hot chicken tossed in cayenne-infused oil, Tavern Smashburgers, and po’boys stuffed with oyster mushrooms.
While the Tavern menu offers a wide range of alcoholic beverages, Wright wants to include all demographics and tastes across the Sewanee community. “We’ll also have a complete line of dirty sodas, mocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks because only 30% of the population here can actually drink legally. So we want to be able to support that. I really don’t want to be the type of place like a lot of colleges that just serve cheap beers and drinks to make sales. We want to be a responsible community partner.”
Wright noted that the Tavern will open first while the renovations to the cafe are finalized. The restaurant is aimed to open in full sometime later in the spring. “We are re-doing both the kitchens and the Blue Chair portion as well. By the time that’s finished, we’ll be able to comfortably seat about 80 people, maybe a little bit more inside, and of course the outside.”
Wright noted that it will take time to reopen fully, and the Tavern will be the initial offering. “We want to get open as soon as we can, but we want to make sure we open correctly. It’s a little bit challenging to be honest,” he said. “We’ll open up on Tuesday at 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., which will be sometime in February. Wednesday will be the same. Thursday we might extend that time frame to have trivia come back. Friday will be 10 p.m. or later based on what’s going on around campus, so we will adjust based on demand. Then Saturday and Sundays we will be open just for an extended brunch and lunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.”
For the future, Wright hopes to maintain the Blue Chair Tavern as a student-friendly business. “We’d like for the students to really own it. I’d like for students to run this whole concept. I think it’s entirely possible. I’ve seen it done in many other places.” He continued, noting the value of student employees. “The students are here when we need them, and when we aren’t busy, we don’t need the students. So it works out really well. We did a successful model at Stirling’s of student employment, so I hope to do the same thing here. It’s part time work but you make good money. There’s a tip pool from the kitchen to the floor, and jobs start at $7.50 an hour. Hopefully we can attract some more people to join us here.”
To make that commitment visible, Wright said, he is searching for a talented student artist to put up a mural on a newly installed panel at the Tavern. “We just put up a new panel and I’d like for someone to put a mural up there. I would love to have a student do that. There’s some money for that too. And what we’re looking for is something you can take a picture in front of, similar to a lot of other places around here…We really need students. Students are the reason we’re here.”