Eighth & Main reopens at former Big Shake's with new menu, burgers, old favorites and more

When Big Shake's Hot Nashville Chicken announced it would be closing its franchise earlier this year, it came as a great disappointment for many Nashville Hot Chicken fanatics.

At Columbia's downtown location at 822 S. Main St., which first opened in late 2021, co-owners Belinda Corken and Amy McGee were faced with two decisions — close up shop or push on, whatever that might entail.

More: Big Shake's brings Nashville hot chicken to downtown Columbia

There was suddenly an opportunity to create something better, something to provide more options and with its own identity. And above all, it would be something truly local.

"It was basically do it or die, and we had to do something," Corken said. "Now it is as good as it has ever been, and we haven't taken any kind of a hit."

After a brief period of reducing menu items and services, while also discovering early that this would be no small job, the two went to work. By June, they opened what is now Eight & Main Burger Co.

"We have a great customer base, but one of the biggest complaints was that there wasn't enough diversity on the menu, and everything was fried," Corken said.

Business picked up immediately upon reopening and continues to grow every week, with many regulars and newcomers wishing to see the new spot, along with an order of catfish and loaded ghost fries.

It was also a team effort they say could not be accomplished without the help of others.

"It was all of our family, like Amy's brother did all of our branding stuff. My son, who is at the main front of house person and her sister helped us pick the colors," Corken said. "And me and Amy are here everyday, and so this is now truly a family-owned and run business."

"That's the fun part about it," McGee added.

A newfound freedom for more options

With a new identity and a fresh start, creating a wider range of foods, with new ideas being created all the time.

McGee, who is also the head chef, said this been a great way to attract more customers, many now already regulars, with more options. As a chef, it has also been an opportunity to broaden herself to different cooking styles, as well as lighter items.

"I can experiment more now, because before we had to stick with the main menu," McGee said. "Now, I can just be like, "Let's throw a salad together," and get some peach preserves, some goat cheese and top it with a deviled egg, and sold. It's so much fun."

That doesn't mean customers can't still enjoy the classic Big Shake's favorites like chicken, catfish fillets and tacos.

"We still have some of the favorites, but we don't have all of the options and heat level," Corker said.

A few of the new menu's top sellers include the classic smash burger with American cheese, caramelized onions and signature sauce on a toasted. Eighth & Main also now offers pork tenderloin cutlets, such as the Muleshoe with lettuce, pickles, onion and stone-ground Aioli on a toasted bun.

Eighth & Main also offers gluten-free buns on any burger or sandwich.

For starters, Corken and McGee said one of the new items that's caught un quick in popularity is the Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts cooked crispy and topped with hot pepper bacon jam.

Other popular starters include the pretzel bites, Wisconsen cheese curds, as well as Piggy Nachos with pork rinds, queso, diced jalapenos, bacon crumbles, sour cream, Pico de Gallo and a smoky chipotle sauce.

"Our burgers are ready to go, and our food is good," Corken said. "The best seller is without a doubt the classic smash, and people love the Pepper Popper. What we would like to do is some kind of special, like a hot plate, but we still need to coordinate some things in our kitchen, but I think people will respond to it."

Adding to the downtown business tapestry

While Eighth & Main continues to build its customer base, broaden its menu and make a name for itself as a go-to downtown eatery, this is only the beginning.

As an "ongoing work in progress," Corken and McGee say this is only the beginning of what they envision to create now that Eighth & Main is officially theirs to run.

"We do plan a lot," Corken said. "One of the things we hope to get soon is our liquor license, probably in 2-3 months, but we do have beer."

McGee added that Eighth and Main also plans to reopen its main stage for live music.

"We are bringing some music back, but we still need to do some redecorating." she said.

Most of all, having their own place to serve food, work alongside family and build a greater downtown presence is the greatest joy.

"We are a real local restaurant," Corken said. "We really are family run and owned. When we put this thing together, we had so little capital to start with. This is unheard of in the restaurant industry, because we were in bad shape."

Eighth & Main's main business hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For online ordering, visit www.EighthNMain.com .

J ay Powell is a general reporter for The Daily Herald. Get up-to-date news in your inbox by subscribing to The Daily Herald newsletter at www.ColumbiaDailyHerald.com .

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Eighth & Main reopens at former Big Shake's with new menu, burgers, old favorites and more