WEST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Wendell Smith's Restaurant has been a fixture in West Nashville since the 1950s — a family-owned "meat and three" now entering its fourth generation at the corner of Charlotte Avenue and 53rd Avenue, a stretch locals know as "Wendell Smith's Corner."
I stopped in during lunch service, one of the busiest times of day, to hear from the people who keep coming back.
Employees describe the dining room as a beehive always buzzing with activity — and on any given afternoon, that buzz includes customers who have traveled from Dickson, Ashland City and even Clarksville just to get a meal off a daily rotating menu of home-cooked food.
Dollene London — known simply as "Mama" to the regulars who treat Wendell's like a second home — has been with the restaurant for nearly 40 years. She said the draw is simple.
"When you come in here, you're going to get a smile, you're going to get a warm feeling inside," London said.
That warmth is mutual. London said the relationships she has built over the decades are what keep her motivated.
"I could be somewhere and somebody could say, 'Hey, mama.' Or they say, 'Mama, we come to see you,'" London said. "And it makes me feel good. That's what keeps me motivated and keeps me coming back."
London has had a front-row seat to the changes that have reshaped the neighborhood around her.
Buildings have come and gone. The surrounding community looks different than it did when she first walked through the doors. But she said one thing has stayed constant.
"Buildings and stuff, that used to be here, they're no longer here. They're gone. You know, everything has changed, except one thing I can tell you to has not changed: Wendell Smith," London said.
That consistency is increasingly rare. The number of longtime local favorites managing to stay open is dwindling. The most recent example is Varallo's, which is soon shuttering after 119 years in business.
Benji Cook, the current owner of Wendell's, said the small business community is tight-knit, and when one spot closes, the impact is felt across the board.
"I mean you know that Varallo's, golly, I just ate there for the first time at the end of the year last year, I'm glad I made it there, you know? Arnold struggled, you know, sweats it, he's doing well, I guess, he's a friend of mine, you know, we're just— I said it years ago ,during COVID we're dying breed," Cook said.
Cook said rising property taxes are putting pressure on his bottom line, but he is committed to staying open because so many people depend on the business.
"I've got 25, 26, 30 families making a living out of this little old place here yeah you know," Cook said. "I've been doing that all my life, you know, it's my family heritage— that's a lot of pressure," Cook said.
For Cook, Wendell's is more than a restaurant. It is part of the heart and soul of Music City — its unique DNA — and in this case, truly its flavor. His loyal, longtime customers, he said, are just like family.
"It's an eclectic old place with a great customer base and you know been here for three, four generations—watch kids grow up, they watch my kids grow up, you know. Now, I'm watching their kids and grandkids," Cook said.
When I asked if it's more than just serving up food, Cook's answer was simple:
"No, man. It's a lifestyle."
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