Is Nashville Joyland, Rodney Scott BBQ still open? $13M in claims hit Pihakis Group
Is Nashville Joyland, Rodney Scott BBQ still open? $13M in claims hit Pihakis Group
Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville TennesseanTue, May 5, 2026 at 12:22 PM UTC
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Financial problems at a Birmingham-based restaurant group are forcing closures across the South as legal claims stack up.
The Pihakis Restaurant Group, which operates Joyland, Rodney Scott's BBQ and other concepts across Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, is now tied to nearly $13 million in lawsuits and liens, according to recent court filings and reports.
At least 14 of the group’s roughly 25 restaurants have closed temporarily or permanently in recent weeks, according to Birmingham-area media reports.
In Nashville, however, two of the group’s most visible concepts remain open despite some reports to the contrary.
The group is tied to the Sean Brock-founded Joyland, and Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s on Broadway at the six-story Eric Church bar and live music venue.
More: SC pitmasters make craft barbecue for Nashville crowds on Broadway: Whole hog on the roof
As of May 4, Joyland remained open and busy. Rodney Scott’s BBQ at Chief’s was also open and serving under Scott’s branding, even as some out-of-town reports listed the Nashville location among closures.
Emails from The Tennessean to Joyland, Sean Brock and the Pihakis Restaurant Group were not immediately returned.
The Chief’s location has already navigated operational challenges. In 2024, Nashville officials removed unpermitted barbecue smokers from the Broadway venue, forcing adjustments to how the restaurant produced its signature whole-hog barbecue before reopening service.
Pitmaster Tyler Ashton checks on the hog on the rooftop of Chief's on Broadway in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, July 19, 2024. Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ is on the top two floors of Chief's, overlooking downtown with its 'Hell of a Q' rooftop.
Rodney Scott is one of the most recognizable names in Southern barbecue. The whole-hog pitmaster built his reputation in South Carolina and won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2018, later partnering with restaurateur Nick Pihakis to expand the brand across the region. Many of those locations are now closed, either temporarily or permanently.
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Pihakis Restaurant Group charged with not paying bills
A lawsuit filed April 27 in Shelby County, Alabama alleges that more than a dozen restaurant entities tied to the group owe $394,238.73 to food supplier Evans Meats for unpaid invoices.
More: Cooking whole hog barbecue on a Broadway rooftop in Nashville: Pitmasters for a day
The complaint names concepts including Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Little Donkey and Hero Doughnuts and alleges that Pihakis guaranteed part of the debt, with an additional $220,639.21 owed.
A second lawsuit filed April 28 claims EMB Hospitality, LLC defaulted on a $1.12 million loan tied to restaurant buildouts. At least $625,668.61 remains unpaid, and the lender is seeking to recover equipment and other assets, according to the claims.
Landlords have also filed millions of dollars in liens tied to properties associated with the group’s concepts, including Hero, Little Donkey and Rodney Scott’s BBQ locations. One amended lien tied to properties in Birmingham where a Joyland location operates exceeds $1 million, according to reports.
Those liens, combined with lawsuits from a food supplier and a lender, have pushed the total claims tied to the group to nearly $13 million.
Taken together, the filings paint a picture of unpaid vendors, defaulted loans and landlords moving to secure assets as restaurants close.
The cases remain pending.
Reach Mackensy Lunsford at mlunsford@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: $13M claim ensnares Nashville's Rodney Scott BBQ, Joyland, others
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