New local restaurant opens, staple downtown restaurant shuts its doors

With the opening of a new restaurant on Highway 11E in Jonesborough, another has closed its doors — at least temporarily.
Popular Jonesborough eatery Bistro 105, located on Main Street in the town’s historic district, is currently closed following the departure of restaurant owner and chef Todd Dawn.
Dawn is now the general manager of the town’s newest restaurant, Daily Bread, which is owned by George and Denise Shinn and located at 125 E. Jackson Blvd.
Although the transition was somewhat sudden, Bistro 105 building owner Steve Bacon says he expects the restaurant to re-open very soon with a new owner.
“Yes, it came as a surprise,” Bacon said of Dawn’s departure. “But a new chef is already negotiating the purchase of the restaurant.
“We are excited about this guy. He has a proven track record in fine dining and has lots of restaurant experience.”
Although Bacon said he feels it is premature to identify the prospective new owner, he did say negotiations are moving along and he expects the sale to be completed as early as the end of this week.
In the meantime, Dawn is working to build a reputation and a following for Daily Bread, a restaurant very different from the Bistro. The restaurant opened to the public on Wednesday, and is open daily for breakfast and lunch.
Daily Bread serves southern cuisine, with pork chops, fried chicken and Momma’s Meatloaf as the leading entrees for on the lunch menu. Eggs, grits, gravy, pancakes, biscuits and even more round out the restaurant’s breakfast menu.
Dawn was not available for comment regarding his move.