Max & Benjamin Goldberg: From Gumballs to Michelin Stars, Betting on Nashville Early

Meet Max and Benjamin Goldberg, co-founders of Strategic Hospitality and two of the newest announced members of the Nashville Entrepreneurs' Hall of Fame 15th class — to be inducted on October 19th, 2026 at the NEXT Awards.

Over 19 years, these brothers built one of Nashville's most celebrated hospitality companies — from a bar nobody believed in on the wrong side of Broadway, to James Beard Awards, Michelin Stars, and partnerships with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

This conversation is a masterclass in long-term partnership, placemaking, and why the restaurant business is, as Benjamin puts it, "so dumb" — and so worth it.

In this episode, Max and Benjamin reveal:

* (0:23) The first entrepreneurs they ever knew — their father, grandfather, and each other
* (1:43) "The Man in the Arena" sign that passed through three generations and still hangs in their office
* (3:15) How a need to buy a car at 16 kicked off Benjamin's first business empire: one gumball machine at a time
* (4:20) The 18 months of begging — and why Max kept saying no
* (5:18) Bar 23 in the Gulch: standing outside with a flashlight, 23 shades of white in a pitch-dark bar, and earning a spot on the list of the world's top nightlife destinations
* (6:37) Opening night, the POS machine, and the lesson that no detail survives first contact with a customer
* (7:02) Max's college ventures: party promotions, a TV show, student body president — and the night Lady Gaga opened for them (his words)
* (8:07) Why Max finally left New York — and what the real pull was
* (9:28) Their father's linen tablecloth intervention: a Sharpie, a $400 dinner, and every reason not to go into business with your brother
* (11:28) What the city's food and hospitality scene actually looked like in 2003 when Benjamin opened his first bar
* (13:27) Early days post-partnership: $700/month rent downtown, walking to work, 90-hour days
* (15:54) Why Nashville's culture is different — and what it actually means for people building something here
* (17:13) Arnold's Country Kitchen as the secret weapon for recruiting Michelin-starred chefs
* (20:35) The company's two phases: the first decade of "selfish" openings vs. the last decade of chef partnerships
* (21:17) The result: every chef partnership they've entered has earned a Michelin Star or James Beard Award
* (23:48) What the company looks like now: ~12 concepts, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, airports, stadiums, and a hotel in progress
* (26:32) The first restaurant: Paradise Park Trailer Resort — hand-pattied burgers on Lower Broadway, and why quality was never negotiable
* (28:18) CMA Fan Fest, hundreds of thousands of people, and why they never raised prices once
* (29:48) The Patterson House: the $12 cocktail bar that everyone said would fail — and the moment it changed Nashville's entire cocktail scene
* (31:48) "The restaurant business is so dumb." Benjamin's most honest take on why they keep doing it anyway.
* (33:55) Placemaking: why they keep choosing the places nobody else wants
* (38:08) Nashville's growth — blessing and curse for the next generation who wants to do what they did
* (40:41) Reopening a restaurant they grew up going to as kids — and what that means
* (41:17) Why giving back isn't a separate thing for them — it's built into how they operate
* (43:12) Max's framework for life and business: earning, learning, returning
* (44:09) Imposter syndrome at the table — and what they want to show their kids
* (46:12) Hall of Fame, and what showing up actually means

Like what you heard? Subscribe to Circle Back for more stories from Nashville's most interesting entrepreneurs. Share this episode with someone building something worth caring about.

Connect with Strategic Hospitality:

Strategic Hospitality: https://www.strategichospitality.com/
Max Goldberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-goldberg-nashville/
Benjamin Goldberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamingoldberg/

Learn more about the Nashville Entrepreneur Center:

Website: https://ec.co/
Circle Back Podcast: https://ec.co/podcasts/circle-back/

Circle Back is brought to you by:

* The generosity of the Beth and Randy Chase family
* In partnership with the Nashville Post

Production by Clark Buckner and @relationarymarketing.

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