Deacon's New South, the upscale steakhouse that helped anchor dining in downtown Nashville's historic L&C Tower, will close later this month after nearly a decade in business.
Franklin-based A. Marshall Hospitality, also the parent company for Puckett's Restaurant, announced Deacon's will serve its final guests on Oct. 24. The company said the decision comes amid ongoing economic pressures and reflects an effort to position its remaining restaurants for longterm sustainability.
In a statement, A. Marshall Hospitality CEO Claire Crowell thanked employees and loyal guests who supported the restaurant as downtown Nashville transformed.
"Downtown Nashville has changed tremendously over the past decade, and the current economic environment has created
challenges that require us to make difficult decisions about the future of our business," she said. "While we will certainly miss welcoming guests to Deacon's, we are proud of what we have built and the memories made here."
Announced in 2016 and opened in 2017, Deacon's occupies the former Bank of Nashville space inside the L&C Tower at 401 Church St. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant, created as a more elevated concept for A. Marshall Hospitality, had a deep wine list and a menu centered around dry-aged steaks.
The restaurant's name came from "Deacon," the college nickname of founder Andy Marshall.
A Tennesseean guide to Nashville steakhouses described the restaurant as "at once classic and modern," praising its wine list, cocktails, and signature duck drumettes, crawfish noodles and Titan-cut whiskey-aged bone-in ribeye.
The announcement follows the recent closures of Puckett's locations in Hendersonville and Cullman, Alabama. A. Marshall Hospitality continues to operate six Puckett's locations across Tennessee, including its downtown Nashville restaurant, as well as Scout's Pub in Franklin.
The closure comes amid ongoing challenges across Nashville's restaurant industry.
In a 2024 interview with The Tennessean, then-Chief Operating Officer Lyle Richardson said operators were grappling with a convergence of issues ranging from labor shortages and rising food costs to supply chain disruptions and inflation.
At the time, he predicted closures would continue to affect restaurants of all sizes, from independent operators to national chains. Once the big chains started closing locations, he said, that’s when you knew it was time to worry.
Earlier this year, the Tennessee-founded O'Charley's abruptly closed all of its restaurants, ending a 55-year run. Other chains such as Wendy's and Red Lobster have closed hundreds of underperforming locations in 2026.
Nearly 10 years after opening in downtown Nashville, Deacon's joins a growing list of restaurants navigating a markedly different economic landscape.
Reach senior dining reporter Mackensy Lunsford at mlunsford@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Deacon's New South closing after nearly a decade in downtown Nashville
