October 23, 2023

SOB Restaurant Opens a Third Location in Collierville

The Commercial Appeal

By Jennifer Chandler

SOB has opened a location in Collierville.

The Memphis restaurant opened a new location in Collierville in the Schilling Farms development on Oct. 10 at 1329 W. Poplar Ave. It is the third location for the restaurant that started as “South of Beale” in Downtown Memphis.

“A lot of old regulars Downtown now have families in Collierville, so opening in this part of town seems right to us,” said Ed Cabigao, who owns the restaurant group with his wife, Brittany. “The area is growing, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

Here are three things to know about the new SOB restaurant.

A new look, with a nod to the past

“The restaurant definitely has a different aesthetic from the other two,” Ed Cabigao said. “The color palette harkens back to the original SOB with earthy tones like burnt orange and browns.”

The restaurant boasts a circular bar, as well as lots of booth seating. The restaurant also has an outdoor patio for al fresco dining.

At 3,900-square-feet, the Collierville SOB is the smallest of the three restaurants.

A new location, and a new menu

A look inside the new SOB restaurant at 1349 W. Poplar Ave. in Collierville on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. This is the third SOB restaurant location in the Memphis area.

About three weeks ago, SOB rolled out a new menu at all its restaurants. The change was in anticipation of the Collierville opening.

“We brought back fan favorites,” Cabigao said. “The Duck Patty Melt, our Fried Pork Chop and our Gouda Mac-n-Cheese are all back.”

Since the Zaka Bowl has been such a popular menu item, Cabigao decided to add more bowls to the menu. Options now include a Shawarma Bowl (with grilled chicken) and a Carnitas Bowl (with shredded pork).

“Lola’s Bowl is a Filipino bowl with pork skewers, noodles and lumpia,” he said. “It’s inspired by what my mother used to make for us.”

From Downtown to Collierville — and what about that name?

Cabigao said when he was first approached about opening a location in Collierville, he didn’t know much about the neighborhood.

“We loved the building and the development that they are doing around it,” he said. “So, my wife Brittany and I did a lot of research and discovered that Collierville is a growing market. We decided that our concept would be well received there, so we moved forward.”

Bartender Carlos Rivas, who says he makes the best drink in Memphis, can be seen at the bar with customer Kaylea Vaughn at the new SOB restaurant at 1349 W. Poplar Ave in Collierville on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023.

The Cabigaos opened their first restaurant, South of Beale, at 361 S. Main St. in the South Main Arts District in 2009. The restaurant always had the nickname “SOB” (short of South of Beale), and when the couple opened its second location, they started officially using the name SOB for the restaurants.

In 2020, the couple opened SOB East, its second location, at 5040 Sanderlin Ave. Then in 2021, the couple moved (and expanded) their Downtown restaurant to 345 S. Main St. The new space for the flagship restaurant is in a newly renovated historic building that was once the Ambassador Hotel.

The opening of the Collierville location is the fifth new project for the couple in 2023 alone. Earlier this year the couple bought The Liquor Store concept. After a remodel at the original location, a second of The Liquor Store opened in East Memphis in June. The couple also bought The Hen House on Mendenhall and Bangkok Alley in Collierville.

SOB Collierville will be open for lunch and dinner daily and for Sunday brunch.

SOB

Where: 1329 W. Poplar Ave., Collierville

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Online: southofbeale.com