Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, the Chicago chophouse that has fed Michael Jordan and generated some of the highest restaurant sales figures in the country, is coming to downtown Nashville. The 37-year-old flagship concept will open its first location outside Illinois on the ground floor of the 414 Union Street tower, with the project targeting a spring 2028 debut and more than 150 new jobs.
The announcement, first reported by WhatNow, marks the first time in Gibsons’ history that the brand has expanded its core steakhouse concept beyond its home state. Gibsons opened on Chicago’s Rush Street in 1989 and currently operates three steakhouse venues in Illinois, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Gibsons Restaurant Group has evaluated Nashville for several years before settling on the deal, per WhatNow’s reporting, and the group is investing more than $10 million into the Nashville project.
A Financial Heavyweight Enters Music City
Gibsons isn’t arriving as an unproven newcomer. Restaurant Business ranked Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse among the nation’s top-grossing independent restaurants for 2025, with the flagship Chicago location posting approximately $30.9 million in sales that year, per Nashville Business Journal figures cited in the WhatNow report. Sister concept Gibsons Italia also cracked the list with roughly $32 million in sales for 2025. Nation’s Restaurant News separately reported that Gibsons Restaurant Group placed three concepts in the top 10 of the nation’s 100 highest-grossing independent restaurants in 2025, including The Boathouse at No. 2, Gibsons Italia at No. 7, and Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse Chicago at No. 9.
The Nashville menu will lean on the group’s signature strengths: Prime Angus steaks, fresh seafood, and raw bar selections, alongside an extensive wine program, a bourbon program, private dining and event spaces, and outdoor dining. Gibsons Restaurant Group was the first restaurant group in the United States to earn its own dedicated USDA Prime Angus beef certification, a custom sourcing and aging standard that will supply the new Nashville dining room, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
Why Gibsons Chose 414 Union Street
Steve Lombardo said the group chose 414 Union Street because of its history, character and location, per WhatNow. The 20-story building, a 1975 tower formerly known as Philips Plaza and later Bank of America Plaza, has been undergoing a dramatic transformation since local investors acquired it. Tennessee investment firm TC Investment Holdings and Nashville music executive Scott Borchetta acquired the 414 Union building for $29 million, a deal that, according to The Real Deal, translated to a sale price of $39 per square foot — an 85 percent drop from the tower’s $255 per square foot valuation in 2019 after occupancy had plunged to 50 percent…