Meet Mike Haley of Belle’s Nashville Kitchen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Haley.

Hi Mike, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I began my career path in construction before pivoting into the hospitality industry during the housing market dip in 2009. While drafting and designing residential homes was my first passion, the hospitality industry opened my eyes to the world of food and beverage. From there I developed a new dream and passion project– to open a bar and restaurant inspired by one of my favorite travel destinations, Nashville’s Music City.

I began looking for a location that made sense to open and design a Nashville-inspired honky-tonk bar and restaurant when a friend told me about a space that was available on Main Street in Old Town Scottsdale. I resonated with the ambiance and style of Old Town Scottsdale and felt that it would be the perfect location to make my vision come to life. Also, fun fact, the space where Belle’s Nashville Kitchen lives is rich in history– in the late 1950s to early 1990s it was home to Lulu Belle’s, a long-time thriving bar and restaurant where the bartenders and cocktail servers gave tribute to the Gay Nineties (1890s). Due to its history, we found it only fitting to remember and celebrate Lulu Belle’s by naming Belle’s Nashville Kitchen after its long-time predecessor.

I didn’t anticipate opening my first restaurant during a global pandemic, but I came to see it as an opportunity. Through a lot of hard work, grit and tenacity from myself and my team, we were able to navigate opening a new business during such a hard time. While some thought it was risky for me to open a restaurant during a pandemic, I believed this could be my opportunity to help boost the restaurant industry when it needed it the most. I had a vision for the space and design of the interior and used my contacts in the construction industry to help with the build out. With the help of a few friends, including my long-time mentor, we built the bar, refreshed fences for reclaimed wood on the walls, had all-day and early morning bar epoxy sessions and built the bar shelves ourselves.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I opened Belle’s during the COVID-19 pandemic… needless to say, there were more than a few bumps in the road. The biggest struggle I think we faced was during the build out process. Construction workers were ridiculously hard to find and, when we did find them, their schedule didn’t work with our tight timeframe. That’s the main reason I ended up doing most of the build out myself, but in a roundabout way, I’m glad I got to have a more hands-on role in designing Belle’s. I really got to see my vision come to life and felt proud that I had such a large role in it as the business owner.

Luckily, I was able to navigate the trials and tribulations of not only being a new owner of a restaurant, but also how to maintain a business and employees during one of the worst periods the restaurant industry has seen. Our goal was to introduce new and innovative ideas to keep the restaurant afloat because I truly felt that the ability to innovate and adapt would be the only thing that would keep this dream alive during a pandemic. I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished and continue to accomplish– I couldn’t have done any of it without my team.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Belle’s Nashville Kitchen is a honky-tonk bar and restaurant right in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale that features craft cocktails, homemade liquor infusions and southern-style comfort food, including our title-winning Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. When I opened Belle’s, I aimed to reimagine the vibrancy and delicacies of Nashville, Tennessee, and I believe our success in doing that is what I’m most proud of. We are constantly innovating our food and drink menus and our weekly specials so guests can experience something new whenever they come in.

Our specialty is providing live country music in a fun, comfortable atmosphere where guests can enjoy great food, excellent service and ever-changing weekly specials. Right now, Belle’s offers live country music 7 days a week, whiskey tastings every Wednesday, ladies’ nights every Thursday and honky-tonk brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. The combination of the bar atmosphere and our quality food made fresh daily with locally sourced ingredients sets us apart from other similarly themed places. Our space is also unique because the live music isn’t over-bearing even though it’s center stage–the same sound level is enjoyed throughout the space.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memories have to be boating and camping with my parents. We were a family that really enjoyed outdoor activities, and it was always then that we bonded the most.

When we lived back East, we would go to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. It was surrounded by woods so we got the opportunity to do a lot of exploring, canoeing, water skiing and tubing behind the boat. When we moved to AZ, we did road trips to all the major sites– Old Tucson Studios, Rawhide, Grand Canyon, Casa Grande Ruins, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, etc. We also did trips to Roosevelt Lake with the boat almost every weekend in the summer. Experiencing all the different activities and sites with my family made it so memorable, and really showed me just how amazing the state is.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bellesnashvillekitchen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belles_nashville_kitchen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bellesnashvillekitchen
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bellesnashville

Image Credits
Tim Fuchs