The Short North, home to rooftop sushi, late-night slices, morning martinis and drag brunch, is getting something new and different: a country bar.
Singer-songwriter Chase Rice, scheduled to perform in August at KEMBA Live! in the Arena District, plans to open a live-music and drinks spot in town at about the same time. Welcome to the Farm, which started in the Flats in Cleveland in 2021 and expanded a year later to St. Petersburg, Florida, will take over the first floor of Columbus’ Good Night John Boy at 906 N. High St.
Rice is partnering on Welcome to the Farm with Forward Hospitality, the parent company of Good Night John Boy, a 1970s-inspired bar.
The first-floor country bar will host a rotating lineup of country-centric DJs and live music, an extensive bourbon and whiskey program, signature cocktails and “an atmosphere built for everything from weekend nights out to Buckeyes gameday watching,” according to a news release announcing the plans.
The bar will seat about 100, with seating inside and on the patio.
In Cleveland, Welcome to the Farm offers signature drinks such as a spicy mango margarita and “large-format sharables” such as a mimosa tower and a grapefruit margarita served in a cowboy hat. The food menu includes smash burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches and fried tenders.
Rice is no stranger to Columbus. The musician who first gained fame as a finalist on “Survivor” played at the WCOL Country Jam in 2017 and opened for Old Dominion at Nationwide Arena in 2023. He was born in Florida and raised in North Carolina, but Rice’s father grew up in Grove City.
“This has always been one of those places I’ve loved coming back to,” he said in the bar’s announcement. “Bringing The Farm to Short North just feels right, and I can’t wait for everybody to come hang with us this summer.”
Follow Dispatch dining reporter Bob Vitale on Instagram at @dispatchdining. You can reach him directly at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Chase Rice is bringing a country bar to Columbus
Reporting by Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bob Vitale, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
