NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Foodies will find traditional bar foods at Buds & Brews, but the secret is in the sauce.
"You're going to have regular ketchup and mustard and barbecue sauce and ranch dressing on your table," said Michael Solomon, president and owner of Buds & Brews. "But if you wanted the THC-infused, the CBD-infused — all derived from hemp — you can get those ramekins. They are sealed, pre-manufactured and come here straight to the facility."
Solomon said Buds & Brews will be the first cannabis restaurant in Tennessee.
Although the entrees won't contain THC, customers can opt for hemp-derived sauces on the side with dosing spoons that meet the state's legal limits. Solomon said it's all about portion control.
"So Buds & Brews came to formulation because we know people love to sit at a sports bar, watch a game, have a beer and we wanted to have a cannabis theme concept to go along with that," Solomon said.
Hemp is the same species of plant as cannabis but contains lower levels of THC — the psychoactive compound that makes people feel high. In Tennessee, hemp can be produced if it has 0.3% THC or less.
Solomon is also the owner of Craft Cannabis, a "seed-to-shelf" cannabis company that creates products infused with hemp-derived THC, including the condiments that will be offered at Buds & Brews.
THC-infused mocktails and desserts are on the menu too.
"We'll have your smokey margarita, we will have your bloody maryjane, and gotta have your Nashville favorite. We will have, not the Bushwacker, we will have the weedwacker," said Solomon.
In this budding industry, he feels now is the time and Nashville is the place for Buds & Brews.
"It's going to take an accepting community to be like 'hey, we'll accept the first cannabis restaurant in the state of Tennessee,' and I think the people of Germantown have that perspective," Solomon said.
Customers must be 21 or older to enter Buds & Brews once it opens this spring.
