Centennial Park’s old croquet clubhouse is getting a serious glow-up. The mid-century building on the park’s north side is being remade into a public Croquet Cafe as part of a larger revitalization, with plans for indoor seating, an outdoor courtyard, and new public restrooms in one of Nashville’s busiest green spaces.
What the Croquet Cafe will be
According to Centennial Park Conservancy, the 1963 clubhouse beside the Sunken Garden is set to be repurposed as a cafe offering affordable food, refreshments, and park merchandise. The Conservancy’s project pages note that construction broke ground in 2025 and is projected to wrap in 2026, and that cafe proceeds are expected to help fund ongoing park improvements alongside a new Event Pavilion and upgraded pathways.
As reported by WhatNow, the team behind the Grilled Cheeserie has announced an end-of-year plan to launch a new cafe concept inside Centennial Park. WhatNow reports that the group is eyeing both indoor seating and the outdoor courtyard shown in Conservancy renderings.
The restaurant team
Joseph Bogan and Crystal De Luna-Bogan debuted The Grilled Cheeserie as a food truck in 2010, then grew it into brick-and-mortar locations, per The Grilled Cheeserie. The pair also runs Café Cheeserie inside the Frist Art Museum, a partnership outlined on the museum’s site that underscores their experience with hospitality in cultural spaces.
Construction and neighborhood impacts
Phase Three construction on the park’s north side started in 2025 and will keep that area closed through Fall 2026, with shifting parking and temporary road closures around 27th Avenue North, according to Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation. The work includes a new Park Plaza entrance and upgraded walkways intended to make it easier to reach the park from North Nashville and to connect to the future 440 Greenway.
The Conservancy’s materials also list lead philanthropic supporters, including the Frist Foundation, Sandra Schatten Foundation, Hays Foundation, and the Joe C Davis Foundation, and describe the cafe as an amenity designed to help generate sustainable revenue for the park. While WhatNow connects the Grilled Cheeserie team to the Croquet Cafe concept, public materials have not yet fully detailed the operating arrangement between the Conservancy and any restaurant partner.
Project renderings and stated timelines point to a 2026 debut for the cafe. As construction moves forward, more specifics on menus, operating hours, and who will handle day-to-day management are expected to surface in future announcements from the Conservancy or the operator.
