Hello, everybody! I hope your summer is off to a grand start. One thing that brings all sorts of folks together is food—we all eat food for nourishment and enjoyment.

This made me think about growing up here in Murfreesboro in the ’80s and ’90s, and the restaurants I used to go to. So, that’s what we’re gonna talk about in this story. Let’s revisit some of the Murfreesboro restaurants from decades past.

For example, some of you might remember Chesney’s, which sat at the corner of West Northfield Boulevard and Memorial Boulevard. Chesney’s was known as one of the first places that served liquor by the drink, and it was a hangout for many folks. My favorite thing at Chesney’s were the baked potato skins with sour cream, cheddar and chives. Long Island teas were also a favorite here. This was around 1986.

Now, after Chesney’s closed, the building at the site became Stone Pony. Then it was Fuddruckers and later, briefly, a nightclub called Drink. Today there is a Murphy gas station there.

Here’s another good one: The Western Sizzlin owned by Jim Demos was located on Broad Street. This place was more of a steakhouse. This building would later become Trappers, and then Santa Fe, Coach’s Grill, Fairways and Brew U, among other concepts, before finally converting into the Party Fowl, as we know it today.

Many of you will remember the Odom’s Country Kitchen restaurant at the corner of Lokey Avenue and Broad Street. This would later become Tooter’s and—after a name dispute—the now-familiar Toot’s.

One of my favorite local restaurants today is Champy’s, also located on Broad Street. That location originally was a Sambo’s, then Po Folks, then Hooters and today Champy’s.

I also loved the Cooker on Broad Street. This building would become Puleo’s Grille,  which is the current site of Hooters.

Nearby there was a Golden Corral, which would later become Demos’, and just down the street there was Quincy’s, which today is Yoki Buffet.

There were many other ones, like Don Pablo’s, currently the site of a Whataburger on Old Fort Parkway.

If you liked catfish, there was the Catfish Shanny, owned by Ira and Vivian Carpenter and located on South Church Street. This building was later the original home of the Parthenon steakhouse (which later constructed its new building across the street), and today is a Mexican restaurant.

One last one which I really liked was Meachum’s on Northfield Blvd. Meachum Evins was the owner and his father, Dan, is known for starting Cracker Barrel over in Wilson County.

Slick Pig, circa 2017, before its building renovation

Well, friends, I’ve made myself hungry so I’m either gonna have some Sir Pizza, The Alley on Main, or maybe some leftover Slick Pig wings with ranch and bleu cheese. You make the call. Now that you are hungry too, go get you some grub somewhere local.

And remember to go out and do something nice for somebody. Ciao!

(a special thanks to Wade Hays, the owner of Toot’s, for his help in identifying all of these different restaurants.)