I am still heartbroken after losing Mad Donna's - my favorite brunch spot in Nashville and the #1 place I always recommended to anyone visiting the city.
Since then, it seems like tons of restaurants are closing each day, most recently Pied Piper - an East Nashville staple that had been around for a decade.
So the question is, why are so many restaurants disappearing?
According to industry experts, the growth just isn't sustainable, even though Nashville seems to be growing like crazy.
Independent restaurants got hit the hardest between fall 2016 and fall 2017 - taking a hit of 5% - most likely because they didn't have the marketing budgets of the larger, nationwide chains.
However, the chains have also noticed a decrease as well.
As for Nashville restaurants, it just seems to be a mix of over-saturation in the restaurant market, rising property values as the population booms and the inability to compete.
Not all hope is lost though! 51 new restaurants are either set to open or have already opened downtown - and there never seems to be a shortage of unique and creative food options!