Plane Jane: It isn’t obvious to the naked eye. No signage. No garish flashing lights.
No blaring music signaling a potentially rough morning after (hello, Broadway). It’s more discreet than that. In fact, the easiest way to find it is to keep an eye out for a nondescript black building—and a local restaurant doling out waffle cones stuffed with fried chicken and mac ‘n cheese. That’s because Plane Jane, a new late-night spot on Dickerson Pike, is the brainchild of Marcus and Jennifer Buggs, owners of the fast- casual chicken-and-waffle-cone joint Coneheads. But to access it, you’ll need to walk around the back of the restaurant to reach the front door.
“Plane Jane brings a new perspective to Nashville’s cocktail bar scene—one that is centered around hip hop and other soulful sounds,” says Buggs. “I spent a lot of time in this neighborhood as a kid. The Police Athletic League office was over on Meridian Street, and I ran track for them for years growing up. I love the idea of a meeting spot for the neighborhood. Somewhere easy that allows you to release yourself from whatever you’re going through.”
With a mid-century modern sensibility, the long, narrow space fits 50 patrons comfortably with plush blue velvet stools and wooden high tops lined against the right-side wall. The space is also enveloped in a homey bumblebee paisley wallpaper, adding a dash of whimsical kitsch throughout. Towards the back of the room, an intimate lounge features reupholstered airplane seating (“they’ve been in my personal storage since 2016,” says Buggs) and a Banksy-inspired photo created by local artist Mobe depicting Buggs’ daughter launching a paper airplane across the wall. The space is highly personal for Buggs, a Nashville native who went to Goodpasture Christian School and Vanderbilt before playing professionally for the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears.
“A reconstructive knee surgery ended my playing days and I kind of fell into my mother’s restaurant, Cal’s Country Kitchen. That’s where I picked up my love of food,” Buggs says. That eventually led to Plane + Simpl, a catering company he launched in 2016. “I offered a basic cocktail service with my food where I made my own simple syrups. Some of these ideas have been percolating in my mind for a few years now.”
The cocktail menu, which was crafted with the help of Freddy Schwenk (Geist, Vandyke Bed & Beverage), boasts simple, yet unique combinations of booze and tincture in each glass. Like a gin-chocolate-Campari concoction or a bourbon-banana-bitters blend. If a case of the munchies strikes, the Buggs invite guests to bring in some signature eats from Coneheads. On any given night, the bar’s entertainment might feature a DJ working their magic on the turntables or local musicians setting the scene with an intimate live music set. But according to Buggs, Plane Jane’s incredibly diverse musical appetites is an intentional choice, combining a heavy mix of world music, hip hop, and old school favorites. “It’s just all-around dope music. It’s a chill scene.”
The Buggs feel they’ve created a visual and sensory aesthetic that is unlike anything else in Nashville. “My wife and I love going out to restaurants and bars and we also love to host. This was the best of both worlds for us,” muses Buggs. “This space has allowed us to fulfill two goals in one because we also run our restaurant right upstairs from Plane Jane. [The mix of food and cocktails] brings our original catering company concept full circle.” (1315 Dickerson Pike; planejanebar.com)