2 days ago
The history and soul behind Brown's Diner
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In Nashville, one longstanding burger joint has reinvented itself under new ownership.
Brown's Diner in Hillsboro Village opened inside an abandoned trolley car in 1927. In nearly 100 years, the diner has changed ownership just 3 times. The man now in charge has made some changes, but said he has done so with the goal of maintaining the soul of Brown's.
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'It kind of was intriguing to me to take something that had it's soul and had it's core, and put my little touch on it and see what we could do with it,' owner Bret Turk told News 2. 'It's a unique place. It's not going anywhere. We're doing much better now, everything's kind of flowing and we've got into our groove.'
Turk took over in 2021. He knows restaurants — having co-founded the popular local barbecue chain Edley's. He's spent the past few years building the diner back up, creating a designated space for bands to play, modernizing the kitchen and menu, and adding an outdoor patio deck.
'We kind of designed it to feel kind of like a train station feel, where you come up and get onto the trolley or the train from the platform area,' Turk said. 'The history with the musicians and the music we have going now, and the neighborhood, it has gotten a little dilapidated and a little dirty.'
Amid his updates, Turk made sure to blend the diner's future with it's storied past. That includes retaining an employee who has played a huge role in the history of Brown's.
'Since we're close to Musicians Row, or what was, all the musicians come here because they can get a good burger and a beer, at the time,' Daphne McFarland, a waitress at Brown's for nearly 40 years, told News 2. 'And that hasn't changed. Plus, everybody is usually a smiling person towards you. 'Hi, how are you?''
McFarland is referred to by the diner's regulars as 'Mama.' She said she plans to retire in 2027 when the diner hits its century mark.
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Given it's been around for nearly 100 years, in a city and neighborhood that is constantly changing, News 2 had to ask: how does Brown's continue to stand apart?
'The staff is friendly, 98% of the time. I'll give them 2% that they might (not) be,' McFarland answered with a laugh. 'And the people are nice. You don't mind waiting on them because they are nice. It's just its own little place. It's home away from home.'
Meanwhile, Turk told News 2 he first envisioned Brown's as a place his young daughter could work at while in high school before, someday, hopefully taking it over herself.
'The idea is to keep it here until I'm no longer here, and it's still here,' Turk said. 'How cool would it be, 200 years (since it opened), if it were still here?'
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