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Delia Jo Ramsey/Eater Nashville

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Nashville Dining Experts Discuss Their Biggest Hopes for the Restaurant Industry in 2022

A wish list for the new year

by Delia Jo Ramsey

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Welcome to the Year in Eater 2021 — an annual tradition that looks back at the highs, lows, and in-betweens of the Nashville restaurant scene. Today, a few Nashville food writers, editors, and chefs share their hopes for the coming year.

What is your biggest hope for the restaurant industry in 2022?

Maneet Chauhan, president and founder of Morph Hospitality: My hope is that the hospitality industry will be able to come together and repay its team members for the hard work they’ve shown us over the last couple of years, raising living standards via more support and better benefits.

Jackie Gutierrez-Jones, food and beverage writer at Eater Nashville, Nashville Lifestyles, Time Out, Lonely Planet: This one’s specific to Nashville: more diversity in dishes and cuisines represented throughout the city. I love a good Southern riff on a dish, but... I think we’ve perfected the concept. Onto the next, y’all.

Chris Chamberlain, food writer at Nashville Scene, Sounds Like Nashville, and other publications: A return to stability in terms of inflation and staffing issues. I’m not predicting it, but I’m sure hoping for it!

Ellen Fort, senior editor and food writer at Saveur Magazine, former editor of Eater SF: Some semblance of normalcy, but also respect for the hard work they do for our community. It’s been a long couple years.

Nancy Vienneau, food journalist, Nashville Lifestyles Magazine: I have no real predictions for 2022. I do have hope. At its heart, Nashville is a creative and collaborative community, and that holds true for our cadre of chefs, bakers, cooks, restaurateurs, somms, bartenders, servers, managers...I hope they can remain strong, and thrive.

Andy Little, executive chef at Josephine and James Beard semi-finalist: My hope for us is that the dining public at large finds some grace.

Delia Jo Ramsey, Eater Nashville editor: I just want diners to continue to be (or become) empathetic towards restaurant employees. It would also be nice to see the federal government replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.