Iconic musician touts new restaurant, but MAGA star ‘couldn’t care less what you think’

Music star Kid Rock and Detroit restaurateur Joe Vicari have put a new spin on Joe Muer Seafood in Nashville. It’s now a restaurant called The Detroit Cowboy.(Courtesy photo/Ashley Hylbert)

Kid Rock has a message for folks living in Nashville, visiting Nashville or contemplating trips to Nashville. His new restaurant, The Detroit Cowboy, is open for business in Music City — but if potential customers disagree with his politics or anything else he has to say, Rock is ready to flip them the bird.

A news release about the grand opening of The Detroit Cowboy starts with this provocative statement: “Kid Rock couldn’t care less what you think about his new restaurant.”

The release also includes a statement from Rock that says, “I know how to hang pictures, create a vibe, and make things fun! … all while still holding two middle fingers up high for the haters!”

It’s a provocative marketing strategy, but not all that surprising for the rap-rock star, an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and his policies to “Make American Great Again.” Rock is no stranger to controversy, whether that involves sharing his views on Trump’s deportation policy, getting involved in a a Bud Light boycott or pointing to “ugly-a**” liberal women as one cause of the low birthrate in America.

Now that diners on the opposite side of the political spectrum have been alerted, the publicity team behind The Detroit Cowboy is spreading the word about an “invite-only” celebration for the eatery on June 3.

Music star Kid Rock and Detroit restaurateur Joe Vicari have put a new spin on Joe Muer Seafood in Nashville. It’s now a restaurant called The Detroit Cowboy.(Courtesy photo/Ashley Hylbert)

Details for the event weren’t available, but two tickets are up for grabs via a fan giveaway on The Detroit Cowboy’s Instagram page, and include a meet-and-greet and photo with Kid Rock.

The iconic performer, 54, has teamed with the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group for The Detroit Cowboy, putting a fresh twist on the Nashville location of Joe Muer Seafood.

The Detroit Cowboy, which opened on May 5, offers diners “big flavor, bold design, and the kind of unfiltered vibe you’d expect from both Music City and Motor City’s most unapologetic son,” the news release says. The restaurant’s motto? “Go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated.”

Country musicians such as Jamey Johnson, Drake White and Midland have already been on scene, according to Rock’s Instagram posts, and the star touted a “great meeting with the Department of Justice” on May 21.

The dinner menu emphasizes seafood and steaks — oysters, roasted Alaskan halibut, roasted seabass, lobster pot pie, Wagyu strip, Tomahawk ribeye, Black Angus filet, steak tartare and more — with sides that range from truffle pomme frites to charred broccolini. Entree prices range from $32 to $148, and there’s a “grand seafood tower” on the raw bar agenda for $175.

“The Detroit Cowboy isn’t just a restaurant — it’s a culinary ride like no other, where like-minded folks who love this country can dine in style,“ Rock said in a statement. ”Whether you wear a bow tie, a bolo tie, or no tie — it’s all good. I re-designed this place to share some of my favorite milestones and personal artifacts — cool gifts and mementos from legends like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Eminem, Bob Seger, and Motown — to name a few, plus a few wild stories of my own as well as nods to musical heroes like Aretha, Stevie and both Hanks of course! The Detroit Cowboy is the only place on earth where Detroit grit and Nashville swagger collide for the finest dining hangout. The Vicaris and Joe Muer know fine dining, I know how to hang pictures, create a vibe, and make things fun! … all while still holding two middle fingers up high for the haters! To put it simply, I am here to take the foo-foo out of fine dining.”

A VIP dining room known as The Eagles Nest sounds pretty fancy, though, with a private entrance and bathroom, plus “taxidermy, linen napkins and bone-in ribeyes the size of small motorcycles.”

Music star Kid Rock and Detroit restaurateur Joe Vicari have put a new spin on Joe Muer Seafood in Nashville. It’s now a restaurant called The Detroit Cowboy.(Courtesy photo/Ashley Hylbert)

The Detroit Cowboy is Rock’s second property in Nashville, joining his music club and restaurant, Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honky Tonk & Rock & Roll Steakhouse at 221 Broadway. According to Taste of Country, the star “has shown up and crashed his own party multiple times, and has even brought along political commentator Tucker Carlson.”