After 15 years working in the hustle and bustle of the bar industry, Bud East, former general manager of Tribe, has moved on to conquer a different kind of business venture in a new town.
East is the new co-owner of The Galley restaurant, which sits lakeside at Edgar Evins State Park in Silver Point, TN. He stepped down as general manager of Tribe June 18.
“I wanted to create a new challenge,” East said. “Not that I was bored at Tribe, but it was time for a change of pace in life.”
The serenity offered by the lakeside restaurant is a stark contrast to the booming baseline East is used to working in -- a change he expects to enjoy.
David Taylor, co-owner of Tribe, said East has become a staple in Nashville’s GLBT scene during his many years working in the bar industry.
“Bud [East] is such a strong, creative person and left a tough role to fill,” Taylor said. “He’s truly a Nashville original that’s hard to replace.”
East has been responsible for some of Tribe’s hippest theme parties and special events since he began working there in January 2004. Before Tribe, he ran the show at the now infamous Connection Nashville for 10 years.
In that time, East has amassed a list of awards from the GLBT community including the 2006 GLBT community leadership award, awarded by Nashville Pride. He also created the Miss Grand Marquise Pageant in 2004, which he coordinates each year.
“He has certainly been known for throwing some fantastic theme parties and special events,” Taylor said. “He is the one who has been responsible for making Tribe look different every season.”
While many aspects of running The Galley will be different from his work in the bar industry, East has already shown Kaye Tuggle, general manager of The Galley, his penchant for planning in the few weeks they’ve worked together.
“He is very entrepreneurial and has great style in revamping the restaurant,” Tuggle said. “Some of his ideas about events and party planning have a lot of flare. He’s going to do some exciting things.”
The opportunity to take over the restaurant first arose several years ago when East was working on developing Red Restaurant.
“I was already working on establishing Red then and didn’t want to leave anyone hanging,” East said.
When the opportunity to take ownership in the new restaurant arose again in June, East seized it. He has spent the past several weeks overseeing renovations to the restaurant, hiring a new staff and managing many other logistics during the transition.
The Galley serves lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. A variety of sandwiches and salads are available from the delicatessen cooler between 2 and 5 p.m.
With the transition now behind him, East said he is finally able to enjoy slow down and enjoy the scenic view and ambiance the venue offers.
"I fell in love with the marina," East said. "I look forward to the work I'm going to do here."