Actor, TV personality, and serial entrepreneur Billy Dec opened the famous Underground Club in his native Chicago nearly two decades ago. It was the local haunt for celebrities like Michael Jordan, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and many others.
His newest nightclub venture in Nashville drew big names, as well, at its grand-opening six weeks ago. Reba McEntire, Martina McBryde, Macy Gray, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, actor Johnny Galecki (and business partner of Dec’s), Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin (also a business partner), Randy Houser, Colbie Caillat, and others, were among the special guests.
The multi-talented Dec, whose long list of accomplishments includes acting in TV shows like Entourage, Criminal Minds, Chicago Fire, and even several episodes of Friends, owns the restaurant chain “Sunda New Asian.” Early in his career, he discovered he had a gift for the hospitality industry with a unique understanding of what it takes to create and run a successful nightclub.
“I was born and raised in Chicago, and I put myself through college and law school by working in restaurants,” he explains. “And then after the restaurants would close, I would work at nightclubs. And I built a network/passion thing to the point where I was really good at it, and I opened my first nightclub during my first year of law school. And I just kept opening clubs. I think, overall, I’ve opened eight or nine.”
He left Chicago for Nashville eight years ago and soon opened Sunda New Asian restaurant in the Gulch. (His other Sunda locations include two in Chicago, one in Tampa, and one under construction in Detroit.)
But as he watched Nashville’s tourist industry explode, with out-of-town visitors pouring onto the city’s busy Lower Broadway area with its many country music hotspots, he noticed something missing. He saw the need for an upscale cocktail lounge and music venue much like what he’d created in Chicago.
“The question we kept getting from people who came into Sunda, after they’d gotten dressed up and arranged for babysitters to go out and have an awesome dinner for a date night or while visiting was, ‘Where do we go now?’”
Dec discovered many wanted another option beyond the hustle and bustle of Lower Broadway.
“People love the honky tonks, but with the diversity of people coming into Nashville, some want to do other things and dress differently. They might pack the boots and hat for a night on Broadway but then want to look cute and dress up another night. And there was no place to go.”
So, he decided to open The Blueprint Underground Cocktail Club (also called the Blueprint Supply Company) in historic Printers Alley. It’s just a couple of streets over from Broadway, with music venues, restaurants, and hotels but the vibe is completely different. This section of Nashville was home to the city’s thriving publishing industry at the turn of the 20th century, then during the 1940s and 50s became a nightclub district where artists played jazz, blues, and varying styles of music.
“I’ve learned during my eight years of living here that a lot of locals usually don’t go to Broadway unless they’re entertaining out-of-town guests or going to a special event, but they go to Printers Alley,” says Dec. “It has the entertainment component, but not the chaos.”
His new club features a unique and eclectic menu that highlights Nashville, Printers Alley, and his native Chicago. A couple of items to note include The Magic Puff (a take on Chicago’s famous pizza puff) and The Chosen One (chicken nuggets with crème fraiche and caviar). And if you’re an Elvis fan…
“We have fun, nostalgic things like an Elvis Sandwich with local peanut butter and jelly, a banana, and local bacon in it,” Dec says.
Since Blueprint is more of an upscale cocktail club, there’s a wide variety of both classic and specialty cocktails. And with Nashville famous for hot chicken, one cocktail definitely worth trying is the Firebird.
“We took these spices from a hot chicken recipe and worked with our mixologist to create this incredible hot chicken syrup we integrate with Nelson’s Green Brier Whiskey. Then we add a little lime and top it with Prosecco.”
Entertainment is a top priority at Blueprint. Like its predecessor club in Chicago, guests stopping by The Blueprint Underground can look forward to surprising collaborations like the one that kicked things off on opening night.
“That night Macy Gray played a cover of Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly” and then halfway through it, Colbie walked out to the stage, and the crowd just went nuts,” says Dec. “That sort of diversity of different genres and styles is something Printer’s did back in the day. So, it’s really cool to be able to bring it back and celebrate it, but I think it also fits a demand shift for today.”
Blueprint is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 5pm to 3am with the musical tempo building as the night goes on.
“From 5 to 7, the vibe is sort of jazzy and chill with a cocktail bar kind of feel,” Dec says. “Then from 7 to 11 it hypes up with a bigger band that plays more recognizable music with a creative spin to it. And from 11 until 3 in the morning, a DJ that will play more high-energy dance music.”
Beginning next week (July 18th), Blueprint will add a new element to its music mix with live band Karaoke on Thursday nights.
Dec is excited about bringing something new and different to downtown Nashville.
“People have asked if it’s private or members only and it’s not. It’s very open and very accessible and there’s no cover charge. One of our DNA pillars in our love and caring for servicing people and hospitality is trying to find that line between sophisticated and approachable. We’re trying to do our best even as we try to raise the bar a little bit.”