The Loveless Cafe at 75

During a recent drive down Highway 100 — out to the southwestern edge of Davidson County, past Bellevue and into Pasquo — it was finally beginning to feel like fall. The late-September leaves were on the verge of changing, and I was headed to a Nashville institution: The Loveless Cafe. The restaurant’s iconic neon sign welcomed me, a beacon through the rain as I approached the roadside eatery.

Members of the famously hospitable staff were humming along with the timeless Ray Charles tune “What’d I Say” as I entered the lobby, which features a vintage TV and autographed photos of seemingly every Nashville (or Nashville-adjacent) celebrity. 

As Loveless celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, it remains one of Nashville’s best-known and most beloved restaurants. And that’s largely due to the establishment’s commitment to its own history. 

When Annie and Lon Loveless purchased what was then known as the Harpeth Valley Tea Room, the couple was simply responding to what they saw as an obvious need. Highway 100 was the most direct route from Nashville to Memphis at the time, and hungry travelers needed a place to stop on their way out west. What began as a few picnic tables on the front porch of the Loveless’ four-room home quickly morphed into a 14-room motel. In the years since, Loveless has been featured everywhere from Southern Living to The Today Show. It received a historical marker in 2020. 

“I think it’s nostalgic,” says Loveless Cafe spokesperson Wendy Felts. “It’s original. … There’s not that many restaurants left that serve Southern country cooking, and we still do. And they are original recipes from the 1950s.”

The cafe indeed uses Annie’s original recipes for its long-held Southern staples — fried chicken, fruit preserves, country ham and, of course, the biscuits. The Loveless team says they bake upwards of 10,000 biscuits daily. 

“We’ve got one oven that is solely dedicated to biscuits,” says executive director Merrell Peck. “It is set to its temperature, and you are not to change it under any circumstances. That is the biscuit oven all day long.” 

But as restaurants shutter in a constantly evolving city, Loveless has had to adapt to the times without losing its local charm. In 2009, the Loveless Barn was built, kick-starting the restaurant’s expansion into the events business. Now hundreds of events take place on the property throughout each year. In 2019, Loveless added a food truck, which is available for private and public events. 

“We stay consistent in what we serve, but at the same time, we have added some things to keep up with the times,” Felts tells the Scene.

Catering continues to be a major piece of the cafe’s business. The restaurant’s Hams and Jams mail-order business — credited to George McCabe, the son of then-owners Charles and Donna McCabe — was launched in 1982. The mail-order venture was so successful that the McCabes converted the 14 motel units into rooms dedicated to storage and facilitation. When Nashville native Tom Morales, the entrepreneur behind a slew of Music City restaurants and the catering business TomKats, led a group of local investors in the purchase and restoration of the restaurant in 2004, catering remained a focus. It’s still a focus today under current owners Chuck and Trisha Elcan.

One of the restaurant’s most creative attempts at branching out has been this year’s special collaborations. In honor of Loveless’ 75th anniversary, the cafe has partnered with fellow local favorites like Frothy Monkey, Daddy’s Dogs, Cledis Burgers, Sushi-San and Locust on a series of unique menu mash-ups. 

“We just wanted to find a way to work with New Nashville,” says Loveless marketing manager Isabella Guda. “I think Loveless is often considered the original, and we wanted to bridge that gap between New and Old Nashville. … We love those Dine Nashville collaborations with the chefs. We did Locust earlier this year, and we’ve always had such a fun time with that.” 

Above all, the team stresses how important the people — both the customers and the staff — are to Loveless’ enduring appeal. 

“Without our local people, we wouldn’t be who we are,” says Felts.

One family, the Oliphants, have eaten at Loveless every Easter since 1963. The hospitality of the staff, like late, beloved “Biscuit Lady” Carol Fay Ellison, drives return visits even more than the original fried chicken recipe or the biscuits and preserves. 

“The food is great, but the Southern hospitality that you get when you come here, when you sit with [servers] Virginia or Chaz or Owen, our people are our greatest asset,” says Peck. “I think that’s what makes it feel like you’re sitting around a family table, because they treat everyone like their family.”