Belly Acres farm-to-table burgers coming to Silo Square

A Memphis gourmet burger restaurant has announced that they are coming to Southaven and Silo Square.

Developer Brian Hill said Belly Acres will be building a stand alone restaurant near the actual Silo. 

“I had never been there, and after they came to us I went out there to dine and instantly recognized that the quirkiness of the place will be a huge attraction for kids and families,” Hill said.

Belly Acres, which has two locations inMemphis, serves signature burgers made from 100 percent grass-fed beff, along with “beef-less” burger options, free range chicken, sandwiches, and milkshakes.

Hill said Belly Acres is another perfect fit for Silo Square in their quest to attract unique restaurants with different food offerings in Southaven.

“They have a really good variety of craft burgers,” Hill said. “It’s not a normal run of the mill hamburger that you can find anywhere. So between their burgers being so different and their concept being so quirky, I think it is going to be something people will love.”

Silo Square is a $200 million 228-acre mixed-use development featuring upscale residential and single family homes, boutique retail stores, hotels, and restaurants in a pedestrian-friendly Main Street town square setting.

Planning Director Whitney Choat-Cook told the Board of Aldermen that the design is a cross between what she describes as “a barn and airplane hangar.” The site will feature bike racks, golf cart parking, sidewalks on both sides, lots of outdoor seating, a fire pit, and corn hole yard.

“They compared this design to Loflin Yard in Memphis,” Choat-Cook said. 

Chiat-Cook said although there was one “no” vote on the Planning Commission who felt the design was “too modern,” the rest of the commission felt that since Belly Acres was not on the Main Street in Silo that it should have the ability to take on a different look.

“We felt that where it was located it could stand alone and not have to mirror image what May Boulevard is doing,” Choat-Cook said.

Mayor Darren Musselwhite praised the ongoing development at Silo Square and said it shows that the city’s investment in enhancing the infrastructure along Getwell Road and building the controversial pedestrian bridge is paying dividends.

“I think it is quite evident that the investment the city has made in economic developments and in Silo Square have proven to be effective,” Musselwhite said. “The whole package that is being created here with an entertainment, pedestrian-friendly district is showing to be huge for our city.”

Musselwhite said Southaven needed more entertainment options because residents were driving to Overton Square in Memphis where they could park their car and walk to multiple restaurants, or visiting Oxford Mississippi, which has a walkable town square with multiple dining options as well.

He added that several restaurants mentioned to him that the pedestrian bridge was a factor in selecting where they wanted to build in Silo Square and Getwell Road.

“All of this goes together,” Musselwhite said. “Does the bridge matter? Absolutely the bridge matters because it connects commerce on both sides of Getwell in a safe manner. It makes it so you don’t have to get back in your car. 

“Eventually you are going to have hotels on both sides and they may go to a concert at Snowden and visit Belly Acres or many of the other restaurants at Silo. All these things do have an impact on whether businesses come here or not.”

Hill said he loves the design that Belly Acres has chosen for its building and expects they will do well.

“It’s a really cool building,” Hill said. “It’s very eccentric looking and different from what we have out there. Imagine an old barn that is modern in style. It’s going to sit right by the silo. It is going to have a really cool vibe and I am excited to have them there. When there are events across the street and tournaments at those fields - which is darn near half the year now - I think Belly Acres is going to kill it. It’s going to be a cool place to go.”