Officials with The Pub — a British-inspired tavern concept that features English culinary fare — have signed a lease with MarketStreet Enterprises to take retail space in the soon-to-be-completed Pine Street Flats in the Gulch. Terms of the lease are not being disclosed.

The restaurant, which will be located at the southeast corner of 11th Avenue South and Pine Street, will be the first in Tennessee for Tavern Restaurant Group, which owns The Pub. The facility will be able to accommodate about 200 patrons and is expected to open in early September.

This will be Tavern Restaurant Group’s 10th The Pub(s). The company has The Pub locations in Florida, Kentucky and Ohio.

“When we first learned about the concept, we knew a British-style tavern — with its relaxed style and strong emphasis on community — would be a natural fit for The Gulch,” Jay Turner, MarketStreet managing director, said in a release.  “We have no doubt that The Pub will quickly become a favorite destination for area residents and visitors alike.”

Conceived by founder and owner Nate Sanders, The Pub pubs are known for their handsome interiors and beverage selections that include a comprehensive list of single-malt scotches, small-batch and single-barrel bourbons, and draught, cask-conditioned and handcrafted beers from England, Ireland and Scotland.

Read more here and here.

Last week, survey crews were spotted on the 11th Avenue site slated to be home to the proposed Gulch Crossing office building.

This week, core drilling took place on the massive empty lot.

Something is up, yet developer MarketStreet Enterprises is remaining silent, and clearly serious. You don’t pay to have geological samples taken — in this case courtesy of Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based TTL Inc. — simply to see if your land might offer some interesting rocks.

Announced in October 2011, Gulch Crossing remains a rendering only. But with the recent flourish of activity on the site, one must wonder what MarketStreet’s next move might be. Whether the Gulch master developer is about to disclose an anchor tenant for the proposed building or announce it will begin construction on a spec building or simply continue preliminary site efforts in hopes of full-scale work starting sooner rather than later, we can only guess.

But if we spot erosion barriers next week, we’ll let you know. 

Work on Bar Louie in Gulch residential building Velocity will soon officially be underway with a May opening slated, according to Bar Louie Communications Manager Hillary Shahbabian.

A $431,000 permit has been pulled to allow for both the interior build-out and some exterior work (signage, lighting and entrance) to be completed. Nashville-based W.T. DuBois Construction Inc. has the contract.

Velocity is located at 314 11th Ave. S. next to the now-rising Pine Street Flats. MarketStreet Enterprises co-developed Velocity and is solo developing Pine Street.

“People should see some activity in the space very shortly,” said Dirk Melton, MarketStreet development director.

When announced in 2011, reports had the restaurant/bar opening by early spring.  

The opening of Bar Louie in The Gulch will be preceded by the March unveiling of Bar Louie Murfreesboro, to be located in The Avenue shopping center, and the late April opening of Bar Louie Chattanooga in Hamilton Place Mall.

Based in Addison, Texas, Bar Louie is a national restaurant and bar chain known for its sleek interior vibe and creative mixed drinks. Typically located in large cities, it appeals to cosmopolitan types.