For more than a decade, Seven Senses has been a pivotal member of Cookeville’s dining community. Now, in 2025, the brand is expanding with the launch of Savor. 

I sat down with owner Jay Albrecht to discuss the new concept and what it means for the food scene in our city. 

Albrecht stated, “The changes we’ve made recently are about one thing – creating a better experience for our guests. Seven Senses has been going for 12 and a half years, and we have a strong menu, a good following, and we were on the right track, but we were limited by several things that the new facility remedies for us. We’re super excited to be able to offer an overall better experience with Savor at the new facility while still taking advantage of the menu that has proven to be successful  for so long at Seven Senses.” He added, “In the end, it’s about answering the question, ‘What can we do to give Cookeville even better food choices?’ Savor is our answer, and it’s nice to add to the local flavor, especially right here on the WestSide.”

On the origin of Seven Senses and the future of elevated dining in Cookeville, Jay said, “My passion for doing this is Cookeville and the quality of life for those who live here. When we started Seven Senses in 2013, there were only a couple of restaurants on the WestSide – Crawdaddy’s and Father Tom’s Pub (which was only a year old at that point). We envisioned the WestSide becoming more, and we wanted to play a part in that happening. Now look at it today. All the restaurants and shopping options that have joined our community in the last 10-12 years have been exactly what we would have drawn up. I’m super excited to be a part of that and ultimately help the WestSide become the destination that it is today, especially for our local citizens.”

I can imagine many of you reading this piece are wondering, “Does this mean Seven Senses is closed permanently?” To put your fears aside and to end this feature, I asked Jay to share what’s next for the foodie spot so many of us love. 

“The hope is that in a couple of months, we’ll reopen Seven Senses,” he stated. “We’ll feature a similar concept menu, but with totally different menu items – there will be very little crossover. We will be offering more variety for our lunch patrons to choose from, which goes hand-in-hand with our goal of creating a better experience and satisfying more people. That’s what we’ll start with.” Albrecht concluded, “Sometime after that, we’ll work on the nighttime vibe. It will be different, something that Cookeville doesn’t have currently. We’re working on that concept – I think a lot of people are going to be as excited about it as we are!”

– by Andrew Buckner, photos by Abby Weeden