Family's businesses expand into 

Mt. Juliet

Revelettes plan senior care facility, restaurant

Members of the same family involved in two business ventures that began in Williamson County have chosen Mt. Juliet for additional locations for both.

The Revelette family is investing around $11 million into a new sports-themed restaurant and a senior care facility in the Providence MarketPlace area of Mt. Juliet Maristone at Providence is the senior care and assisted living complex, which recently opened at the end of October at 140 Providence Trail.  

Jonathan’s Grille is the restaurant, which is targeted to open in late May on Providence Parkway in an approximately 7,200-square-foot building between the Kroger and Publix grocery stores and behind First Freedom Bank.  “The original concept was to come up here with the assisted living business, and as we started to do a little more research, we didn’t see any other players doing what we were doing,’’ Curt Revelette, chief executive officer of Maristone at Providence, said of the decision to do the restaurant. “The timing was right.’’ The timing coincides with Mt. Juliet’s growth and the emergence of Providence MarketPlace, said Jonathan’s Grille president Candace Revelette. 

“Providence looks like the Cool Springs explosion 12 years ago,’’ Candace Revelette said. 

The original Jonathan’s Grille opened in 1999 in Cool Springs and has established itself as a sports-themed restaurant with an emphasis on its menu, claiming food sales generate more revenue than alcohol, which will be the same approach in Mt. Juliet.

The Revelettes have another Jonathan’s Grille in Bellevue. They had a Jonathan’s Grille location on Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Road in Nashville that has since been sold.  

Mason Revelette, also a son of Candace Revelette, will manage the Jonathan’s Grille in Mt. Juliet. Candace and husband, Alan Revelette, started with their company Advantage Builders.  “We’re not a basket food restaurant where everything is fried,’’ Candace Revelette said. “We strive to look at (upgrading) the menu every 30 days.’’  The new Jonathan’s Grille restaurant is being built for about $2 million.

It will have private areas that Candace Revelette says will be economical for groups to reserve. One of the private areas will be near a bar for ages 21 and older, and the other will be geared toward family gatherings and business luncheons. Outside patio areas are also planned.

Primed for growth

Jonathan’s Grille evolved from a sports bar to a sports grill after two or three years, and now food accounts for about 70 percent of sales with 30 percent from alcohol, which “wasn’t always that way,’’ Candace Revelette said. The senior care facility was about $9 million. The senior living facility comes after Curt Revelette opened Maristone at Franklin just over a year ago in Williamson County. Maristone at Providence, right behind the Target at Providence MarketPlace, offers assisted living, respite care and adult day services. The facility has 47 units for assisted living. It’s licensed for 86 residents, including up to 18 in a secured wing for memory care. 

Maristone at Providence operates on month-to-month lease agreements, Curt Revelette said.  The first 10 residents moved in at the end of October.  “It resembles a boutique hotel and is more hospitality driven,’’ Curt Revelette said of the business model for Maristone at Providence.  The area surrounding Providence MarketPlace, especially south where Jonathan’s Grille will build, could see more new business according to Mt. Juliet economic development director Kenneth Martin.

The Full Spotlight

The college basketball season kicks off this weekend and with the NBA acting like a bunch of babies, we should see a surge in the love for college basketball.  You will see a true love for the game as these young men compete all across the country and ratings will probably be at an all-time high.  You won't see grown men complaining about making 5, 10 or 15 million a year while really old men say they're losing money, but for some reason refuse to show their books.  It's all ridiculous.  However, we will see UNC & Michigan State battling on a Navy Carrier for our troops.  That's awesome.

I'm excited to see how the early games turn out, especially the Vandy/Oregon and Belmont/Duke games along with the UNC/Michigan State matchup.  Will Vanderbilt be able to live up to the hype of being the 7th ranked team in the country.  We're talking about Vanderbilt here!  They're never ranked 7th in anything except maybe men's tennis (killer back hands).  One of the important things I learned from Coach Pitino about evaluating a team was the amount of seniors, and more specifically senior guards.  For that reason, I think Vanderbilt is going to be able to live up the new expectations and be a serious contender this season with their experience in the backcourt.

As for the Tar Heels and Spartans, it's a good thing that Hansbrough isn't playing anymore because I wouldn't be surprised if he dove over the side going for a lose ball.  That's a long fall.  Heels by 12.

Climbing in the Sunshine State

I spoke with Peter Gash, a first year assistant at Florida Atlantic after being promoted from Director of Operations.  Gash has worked his way up from starting as a manager at Lynn University and to the Graduate Assistant position at Indiana University.


AHT: First, congrats on the promotion to 3rd assistant.  Tell me about coming from Indiana and what steps you took getting this position.


Gash: I learned so much from my time at Indiana I felt like I was given the tools by the coaches there to jump into my next job with both feet. Before coming to Florida Atlantic I had a relationship with Tim Kaine and Mike Jarvis II from working the Duke Basketball camp. I stayed persistent with Coach Jarvis II and Coach Kaine when trying to land a spot on Coach Jarvis's Staff. They were the ones who really helped me come to Florida Atlantic. 

AHT: What would you say is your coaching style, are you a run-and-gun guy or do you have a lock down, defense first mentality?  What coach would you say you try to learn from the most?


Gash: I believe that I'm very much into the defensive aspect of basketball. Coach Jarvis's teams had always been known for their intense defense. The common theme between all the best teams that I have worked for is our ability to defend. I have learned the most form Coach Jarvis, he has done so much for me in terms of seeing the game and teaching the game, what separates him for, any other coach is his ability to teach the game.

AHT: How is it working for such a legendary coach, what have you learned most?


Gash: It has really been an honor to work for Coach Jarvis. When I was younger I used play basketball in the drive way at my house and pretend I played for Coach Jarvis at St. Johns, now I have the opportunity to work for him. Not every day you can go into the office feel like you're at a clinic, and working for Coach it's just like you are.  


More than anything, I have learned from Coach how to "slow down" and teach the game.  Coach Jarvis will make sure that every little detail in done right before we move to the next drill, there is nothing that gets by Coach so you have to on point with every detail. I have also learned how to listen - Coach makes sure that as an assistant you listen and you make listening a talent. 

AHT: What type of guys are you recruiting, more specifically, what are you looking for in a player?


Gash: We go by one philosophy at Florida Atlantic; We recruit "Character not Characters". No matter how talented of a player someone is we make sure they have tremendous character.  As far as basketball skills, we really look for guys with upside, guys who can thrive in our program and really develop each year.


Thanks so much to Pete for taking his time and I hope to see good things out of the Owls this season.

Opening Day

It's finally here.  The "start" of the college basketball season is tonight at midnight, even though it never really ended.  It has become a year-round sport, not just from October 15th to the first week of April.

A week after a team gets knocked out the NCAA Tournament, there's a good chance they're back in the gym having individuals.  It's amazing how the role of a player can change so drastically within only a couple of days - no longer being a freshman, becoming an upperclassman, or all of a sudden having a huge role as a senior leader.  Summer workouts, pick-up games, and shooting on the gun for countless hours keeps players busy at all times, not just between October and March.

Practice or party?  Coaches have to weigh the pros and cons of focusing on having practice versus having a party with 18,000 of your closest friends.  Activities include dunk lines, laughing, and rap music (maybe a celebrity or two - ask Coach Cal).  Practice obviously is best for the team, but a Midnight Madness builds support and momentum with the fans heading into the season.  Furthermore, the players have already been going at it hard for weeks with workouts that maybe they need a break mentally, even if it is only for an hour and a half.

All I know is that it's starting to cool and that means that tipoff is only a couple weeks away.  Good luck to all the teams and I hope these young men stay free from injury as much as possible.

My preseason pick - The Tar Heels of North Carolina

A Wounded Big East

The Big East is going to look A LOT different in a couple years.  If Syracuse and Pittsburgh do in fact go to the ACC, there will be a tremendous whole in the quality of the conference.  It doesn't even sound right to imagine not having Jim Boeheim in the Big East.  There is something magical about the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden each March and it will be hard to imagine losing two of the most dominant teams.

One of the interesting dynamics will be the styles of play that Pitt and Syracuse will bring to the ACC.  These are two extremely tough, rugged teams that will knock the hell out of you.  Their focus is on rebounding and the famous Boeheim 2-3 zone, respectively.  The ACC is known for his finesse, up-tempo style of play which isn't necessarily the complete opposite of Syracuse and Pitt, but it clearly isn't the first thing you think of with these two programs.

Coach Pitino wrote in his blog that the Big East has to stick together and find football programs immediately.  He is thinking about the short-term necessity of gaining teams to fill the void, but if you look 3 or 4 years down the road, there is an enormous opportunity brewing in Louisville, Kentucky.  In my opinion, Louisville just became an unbelievably attractive job once Coach Pitino retires.  It clearly is already a great school to coach at, but think about the current the Big East gauntlet that teams play in  - You could play Villanova, Pitt, and at Marquette in a matter of 10 days.  That's absolutely brutal.  If you take Pitt and Syracuse out of the equation, you're looking at Villanova, Notre Dame, and Marquette as the hardest competition.

Taking over for Coach Pitino whenever he retires could be the perfect situation in a Pitt/Syracuse-less Big East that will soon by wide open for taking.