The Puckett’s
Story
Puckett’s Restaurant
Where the main ingredients are real people, real food and real atmosphere.
Puckett’s roots stretch way back to the ‘50s and a little grocery store in the village of Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. Ever since then, we’ve been focused on providing friends, new and old, with great food and Southern hospitality. Seven restaurants later, that aim still rings true. Puckett’s is known for its Southern classics like our meat-and-three items and famous slow-smoked BBQ. Puckett’s has built a name on hosting live, local music (some of whom have become big stars!) in a laid-back and down-home atmosphere.
The BegiNning
Founded by the Puckett family decades ago, the namesake country store served communities in rural Tennessee for years. It was a place to grab the week’s groceries or fill a tank of gas — but it was also a gathering spot in Leiper’s Fork for many decades.
The Marshalls Buy Puckett’s
Andy Marshall grew up in the grocery business. When he launched his own career in the industry at the age of 26, it led to the entrepreneur owning several Piggly Wiggly stores across the Southeast.
In the mid-1990s, Marshall’s love of food, music and community began to steer him in a different direction. His desire was to serve one small town with just one store, where he could also offer home-cooked family recipes to the community he was serving. So in 1998, he decided to sell all of his stores and purchase a little gem in the heart of Leiper’s Fork. That gem was Puckett’s Grocery.
Grocery Turned Restaurant + Music Venue
In 2002, Andy transformed the grocery into a restaurant and music venue. The menu boasted of both the store and the Marshall’s Tennessee heritage, with Puckett’s own special spin. Though most of our friends swear by the barbecue, Puckett’s really built its name on the live talent and songwriters that began performing on the small stage. It began to not be so unusual for the comfort food to be accompanied with the guy who wrote “The Gambler” or have Lady A appear on stage, because that’s happened too.
At the heart of Puckett’s is a desire to cultivate community and create an authentic experience for locals and visitors alike, making downtown Franklin the perfect fit for the Puckett's brand. In 2004, Puckett’s Franklin became our first full-service restaurant, and it’s where we truly started building our concept into what it is today. Visited yearly by thousands, it is our most renowned listening room for songwriter rounds.
Downtown Franklin
In 2010, Andy opened the restaurant in downtown Nashville. Significantly larger than the Franklin location, Puckett’s 5th & Church has a bigger stage for musicians, seats up to 150 guests, and provides a large stock of supplies and groceries for downtown dwellers. Today the Nashville restaurant has become a favorite amongst the locals as well as those visiting Music City. Puckett’s Backstage, our aptly named private dining space located directly behind Puckett’s Nashville, is the perfect place to host any event. The restaurant serves as a sought-after destination for live music, down-home cookin’ and the quintessential Southern experience!
Downtown Nashville
In 2013, Andy opened the third Puckett’s location in downtown Columbia, Tennessee. The former factory and warehouse building measures more than 26,000 square feet, and includes a second-floor event space, Guitar and Cadillac Hall, that exceeds 8,000 square feet. The concept for a Puckett’s on the city’s Public Square was a project several years in the making, and the three-story interior offers the same home-cooked meals and live entertainment as the name it’s built on.
Downtown Columbia
In 2014, Andy announced Puckett’s opening in Chattanooga's Riverfront District, which overlooks the Tennessee Aquarium. With its strong sense of community and personal family ties to River City, it was the ideal city for the company’s first expansion outside of Middle Tennessee. After nearly a year rehabilitating the space and working with leaders at Chattanooga’s non-profit economic development organization, River City Co., to find the building, the restaurant is the largest location to date.
Downtown Chattanooga
In February 2017 the quaint Murfreesboro downtown square became home to the fifth Puckett’s Restaurant. As MTSU graduates themselves, the Murfreesboro community holds a special place in Andy and Jan Marshall’s hearts. Opening a restaurant that would not only allow the people of Murfreesboro to dine at their table, but also offer up opportunities to give back to the students of MTSU was a perfect fit.
Downtown Murfreesboro
Five years after Puckett’s expanded to Chattanooga, the brand opened its second East Tennessee location (and sixth total) on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge in 2019. Puckett’s Pigeon Forge launched the brand’s first-ever counter service model, counter-que, in September 2021 in response to community calls for a destination without the notorious restaurant wait times that are a result of tourism to the area. With the promise of “the Whole Farm in half the time,” Puckett’s Pigeon Forge provides guests prompt service while delivering the same laid-back, downhome atmosphere, comfort food favorites and welcoming hospitality that makes you feel like part of the Puckett’s family.
Pigeon Forge
In the Fall of 2022 Puckett’s opened in Cullman, Alabama. This seventh location became the first Puckett’s outside of Tennessee. Although the menu still has the favorites from the Volunteer State, the restaurant has a vibe that is Sweet Home Alabama.
Cullman, Alabama
Slated to open April 3, 2024, Puckett’s Hendersonville will be the eighth Puckett’s location. Located in the popular Glenbrook Centre, Puckett’s Hendersonville will be conveniently located right off of Vietnam Veterans Parkway.
"Hendersonville has been a community on our wish list for many years,” said Andy Marshall, AMH CEO and proprietor. “It is a town that is rich in family values, has deep roots in the music industry and an appreciation for great food. We are thrilled about this opportunity and look forward to serving ‘The City by the Lake.’"