Invest in Present Tense

From Ryan and Rick:

We are so grateful to everyone that has come to Present Tense and enjoyed our food and guest experience. We've been surprised, flattered, and energized by the way Nashville has received us. 

We opened Present Tense the way you should never open a restaurant: underfunded with a small amount of debt financing and our personal funds leaving us with almost zero dollars to spare on the day we opened - and then facing rising interest rates and inflation. It has been a struggle since day one to operate this restaurant the way we want to.

We've survived though. Thrived even. Which makes us think, if we can do what we’ve done while scraping by, imagine the progress we could make with a little help from our friends. We are thrilled to bring our Nashville supporters into the fold as investors, so we can improve on what we've created and do all the things we dreamed of doing in this space since day one.

We invite you to join us in creating the future of Present Tense.

We are raising funds to support our growth.

We're ready to take Present Tense to the next level, which is going to require the needed capital resources (for operations, kitchen upgrades and marketing) that we didn't have when we first opened.

Opened in May 2023 by longtime friends Ryan Costanza and Rick Margaritov, Present Tense has quickly become a Nashville hot spot in the growing neighborhood of Wedgewood-Houston for locals and a destination for out-of-towners. A modern izakaya dining experience, the menu is shaped by Chef Ryan Costanza, sourcing world class ingredients and using techniques like fermentation, restraint, and Japanese charcoal, inspired by his travels in Japan and Southeast Asia. 

Chef Ryan at work, y'all know him very well:

Present Tense is open five days a week for dinner service with a menu focused on shareable small plates, including raw dishes like aged tuna toast, fried plates such as crispy tofu, items grilled over charcoal like red snapper, and yakitori for dinner. Additionally, Present Tense features several soft serve options, including roasted white sesame and matcha. Present Tense recently launched its exclusive six-seat omakase counter, where guests can journey through a 16-course tasting menu curated by Ryan with drinks paired by Rick. 

When it comes to drinks there is no one more skilled (and charming) than Kenneth Vanhooser. You've also shared a few of his delicious creations at The Optimist, Le Loup, and Four Walls here in Nashville:

Guests can expect a deep sake list, natural wines, and esoteric yet minimalist cocktails. Beverage director Kenneth Vanhooser, whose Japanese-style bartending seamlessly marries western and eastern approaches to creative innovative cocktails that evoke multi-sensory experiences, while certified sake sommelier Rick Margaritov educates guests around the restaurant on the growingly popular alcoholic beverage. 

Present Tense is also home to our own sake brand, Pure Land Sake, available by-the-glass and to take home by-the-bottle purchased at our neighboring bottle shop, Hippo Bodega:

After working with Chef Dominique Crenn in San Francisco, Ryan was awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand and Eater Restaurant of the Year for his Oceanside, CA restaurant, Dija Mara. Here are just a few of his delights from Present Tense:

Present Tense is located in the "most up and coming neighborhood" in Nashville.

The neighborhood has become the hottest growth area in Nashville, with large scale multi-family residential and commercial builds by a few of the largest real estate developers in the country including Hines, AJ Capital and Somera Road. Travel Magazine has named Weho as one of the "most up and coming neighborhoods" in the U.S. While we have considered moving Present Tense to a more activated and walkable retail and F&B neighborhood like 12 South and The Gulch, we love the industrial, artistic spirit and creative vibe of Weho. Up on Chestnut Hill, just a stone throw from Downtown Nashville (with gorgeous and unobstructed skyline views from our rooftop) we realized while we may be ahead of the migration into the neighborhood, we appreciate the role we are playing in its burgeoning growth among nationally recognized restauranteurs and retailers like Pastis and Hermès.

Present Tense was conceptualized and founded by 2 longtime friends who met in the Los Angeles restaurant scene 15 years ago. Collectively Ryan and Rick have over 40 years of experience in F&B, Hospitality and Alcoholic Beverage brand building. They continue to contribute their years of expertise, and passion to create memorable F&B experiences at their home away from home, Present Tense.

Our experience truly sets us apart:

We are excited to work with you and our Nashville community to build on our early success:

Our customer testimonials and featured media continue to provide validation for our creative choices and hard work. Owning and operating a restaurant is very challenging, but we do it for our amazing team and our guests - we are incredibly passionate to provide experiences that help people connect on a deeper level and let go to forget about their everyday stresses.

Raise and Use of Funds

Typically restaurants and bars of our size raise substantial equity funding for buildout, m

arketing and operating capital. Likewise, so many of Nashville’s hottest new developments are funded by large out-of-town real estate developers. We’re a local team looking to serve the residents and visitors of Nashville. We have bootstrapped Present Tense since Day 1 with self-funding, along with a partnership with Pathway Lending and a local investor, to open and continue to operate the business.

We’re now raising funds to build on our early success, to invest in kitchen upgrades and marketing, while providing an opportunity for our earliest supporters, neighbors, and community members to join us and share in what we’re creating.

We think that Nashville deserves to own a piece of Present Tense and our success.

We are offering Class A-2 Common Units to investors, who will receive a priority return with quarterly cash distributions of net profit. We will pay investors back at 80% of Present Tense's distributable cash until their investment has been entirely paid back. After that, 20% of Present Tense’s distributable cash for each fiscal quarter will be distributed by Present Tense to each investor, in relation to their initial investment, in perpetuity.

*Distributable cash means, for any fiscal period of the Company, the Company’s gross revenues from operations received during such period less cash funds used to pay current operating expenses (including management operation pay to Wise Visitor LLC) and to pay or establish reasonable reserves for future expenses, debt payments, capital improvements, and replacements as determined by the Managing Member.

Thank you for your support and look forward to continue serving you for years to come.