Born and raised in Nashville, Spenser Woodard has watched the food culture of his city evolve over the years.
For a long time, the Music City food scene was almost synonymous with hot chicken. The dish was birthed from a zesty affair and a chicken sandwich too hot to handle yet too good to put down. Although Prince’s Hot Chicken remains a Nashville staple, Woodard says the city has evolved into a culinary melting pot.
“As more people are coming here, our food has kind of hit the same trajectory when it comes to being on the map,” Woodard said.
Indeed, more people are coming to Nashville. According to the Census Bureau, the city grew by over 35 thousand people in 2022, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. With new neighbors came an abundance of new restaurants, adding more appeal to Nashville’s growing popularity as a tourist destination.
An Ode To Music Of Food
Heather Middleton, Senior Vice President of Marketing for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, said tourists spend approximately $27 million dollars per day in the city. Despite Nashville not having a large budget for tourism, the city initiated an overhaul of its tourism strategy in 2004. With the rebrand to Music City, a plethora of talented chefs joined the city’s creative community, opening diverse eateries across the city.
“We often say we play bigger than we really are as a city,” Middleton said.
For Middleton, the proof can be seen on every street and corner. Over 300 restaurants have opened in Nashville since the pandemic. There’s a little bit of everything. From seafood spots and Thai cuisine to Tennessee-style barbeque and eclectic brunch kickbacks, these new restaurants have seamlessly blended into the city’s music culture.
“Our restaurant scene is booming,” she said. “The chefs are amazing and an incredible part of the creative community here.”
What’s unique about Nashville’s culinary scene is the musical soul that resides within the dishes served. Regardless of the cuisine, each restaurant has its own personality that transcends beyond food. The cinnamon rolls at Biscuit Love have a quaint reminder of home underneath the frosted cinnamon dust. At Black Rabbit Restaurant, the history of the establishment runs deeper than liquor spilled during prohibition. Nashville food has music and history infused into every morsel that visitors can feel.
“It was a mix of the chefs that have been here a long time doing great work and I think people are just being drawn to that creativity,” Middleton said.
Beyond Hot Chicken
As Nashville’s food notoriety continues to expand beyond hot chicken, new restaurants add a vibrancy to the city’s cultural palette that seemed to be missing before. Leonard Stovall drives tours all over the city teaching the rich history of Nashville and watching new restaurants emerge. He says fresh culinary offerings are all part of the city’s ascent as a tourist hotspot.
“Many new restaurants are coming up as the growth of the city is coming up,” Stovall said. “It has really helped transform the city and that’s all a part of Nashville. Between the restaurants, the Honky Tonk, and the museums, it’s all building Nashville up.”
D’Andre Johnson, a manager at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, has spent the last 15 years living in Nashville. He says the city has erupted with flavor and culture due to the new restaurants opening. Johnson has noticed wood-fired pizza spots, Italian, food trucks and more set up shop around the city. With rapid growth and an assortment of food choices, Johnson believes tourists will keep coming year-round.
“If you stay consistent or complacent with one type of food and just appeal to one group, you’re not going to progress,” Johnson said. “If you can appeal to more and diversify and try to give somebody an experience or taste they’ve never had or thought they would encounter in your city, I think that adds to the culture and experience and gives the tourist another reason to come back and indulge in the city.”
Woodard agrees that the restaurants are turning Nashville into a “cultural food mecca.” Travelers once only sought out the city for its country music. Now, he believes Nashville is getting the recognition it deserves for its contribution to American food culture.
“You’re seeing Nashville branded in a way that I think is crazy different than it’s ever been,” Woodard said. “You might’ve had hot chicken on the menu. But now it’s ‘Nashville Hot’ and that’s what you see in every single place.”