Longtime O'Charley's customers Janice Arnold and Jennifer Winfree returned to the Lebanon location on its final day, Sept. 9, for meals at a place they had enjoyed for decades.
It was their last chance to eat the rolls, loaded baked potato soup and Southern chicken salad that had kept them coming back since shortly after O'Charley's established its Nashville headquarters about 55 years ago.
"I just like the atmosphere. The food's good," Arnold said. "We used to come here as a family every Sunday after church."
On Sept. 8, employees at Nashville-area locations confirmed to The Tennessean that nearly all company-owned restaurants would close at 8 p.m. Sept. 9, effectively ending most of its restaurant operations.
Charlie Watkins founded the casual
American restaurant in 1971 at 21st Avenue S. in Midtown Nashville. It became known for standards including burgers, chicken tenders and steaks. Watkins operated the restaurant until 1984, when he sold the company to David K. Wachtel, a former president and CEO of Shoney's who expanded the chain across the South and Midwest.
Winfree said her memories were tied to the people she shared meals with there: "Just being here with different friends."
The ending was sad, even if it was not entirely surprising, she said.
"Kinda sad, but I understand," she said. "Fifty years is a long time."
Arnold pointed to the growing number of restaurants competing for customers.
"When you get a lot of other restaurants in town, the business is going to slack off some," she said.
It remains unclear whether the chain's franchised restaurants will stay open. The Tennessean contacted O'Charley's and its parent company, Cannae Holdings, but did not receive a response Sept. 8.
Heath Johnson also stopped for a last meal at the Lebanon restaurant, remembering many fun family gatherings.
"When I was younger, they actually had a mural of Lebanon painted up there, and every Sunday after church, me and the family came. So, it’s just got that family aspect to it," Johnson said. "It’s kind of sad to see it go but at the same time I understand sales are down and you’ve got to kind of move forward."
He will carry with him one especially vibrant memory of a family meal after his sister's graduation.
"It was both sides and my grandparents were all here," Johnson said. "We sat down and had a big dinner. I just remember those times being around your family and eating, back then, really good food."
Fidelity National Financial acquired O'Charley's in 2012, and the chain became part of American Blue Ribbon Holdings. It later became part of Cannae Holdings' restaurant group.
The chain had 47 restaurants as of June 30, down from 57 a year earlier. Four locations had already closed during 2026.
Management had tried to stabilize sales through menu changes, improved customer service and the closure of underperforming restaurants.
But financial records show that business deteriorated quickly this year, with the restaurant group's net loss widening from $2 million to $88.5 million in the second quarter.
Perry Hindman went to O'Charley's in Lebanon for the last time on Sept. 9, reflecting on many past visits and expressing concern for the workers who lost jobs.
"We're going to miss it, especially the chicken tenders," he said. "It is a sad day. Tennessee needs to have a law when a place closes down, they need to try to set it up where the employer has to pay the employees at least a month pay."
Reach senior dining reporter Mackensy Lunsford at mlunsford@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: One last roll: Nashville area customers bid farewell to O'Charley's
