Captain D's started on Lebanon Pike in 1969, and its original Donelson location closed for good in early October. This fall, a short walk away on Graylynn Drive, a French café called Maminette opened with buckwheat galettes and espresso. Both happened in the same corner of Donelson during the same fall. Together they show that the neighborhood's dining growth now comes from local and regional operators moving toward its independent scene, and that scene has been building on this stretch of road for about a decade.
Fifty-Seven Years on Lebanon Pike
The chain's history here goes back further than most longtime residents might guess. WKRN reported that the first Captain D's opened in 1969 as Mr. D's Seafood and Hamburgers. Raymond Danner, who co-owned the Shoney's franchise, founded it in an A-frame building on Lebanon Pike near Graylynn Drive. The restaurant moved across the street in the 1990s, and that location is the one now closed.
The company presented the closure as a routine business decision. Captain D's CEO Phil Greifeld told WKRN that the company reviews its more than 500 restaurants every year. He said the Donelson store and the Captain D's in the Providence area of Mt. Juliet were "only marginally profitable," and that the company tried to move employees to other locations where it could. His statement also said the brand as a whole is "highly profitable" and still opening restaurants across the country.
In other words, a national chain looked at this corner and decided it no longer fit the plan. The arrivals that followed point the other way.
What Opened Around the Corner on Graylynn Drive
Maminette sits at 104 Graylynn Drive. Its own site lists sweet and savory crêpes, quiche and specialty coffee, all made from scratch with ingredients sourced locally or imported from France. The owners are Alexandre Meunier and Philippine Maillard, who also run The Authentique, the French wine bar and crêperie in East Nashville.
The name belongs to Philippine's grandmother, Jacqueline Maillard. Before Philippine left France for the United States, she asked her grandmother for her recipes and received them in three handwritten books. She described the feeling she wanted the café to carry to Edible Nashville:
"Every Sunday morning, [her grandmother] would wake up at 8 a.m., head to the fresh market and spend the whole morning cooking — filling the house with smells that meant one thing: you were home, you were loved and something wonderful was almost ready."
On the practical side, Maminette's website lists hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with Sundays and Mondays closed through October. That wording suggests the schedule could change in November, so check the site before planning a Sunday visit. Earlier coverage said the café would open daily, but the café's own posted hours replace that.
East Nashville operators setting up a second French concept in Donelson matters as much as the crêpes, because they chose a street that already had a following.
The Corridor That Was Already There
Maminette lands on a stretch of Lebanon Pike and Old Lebanon Road that independent owners have been filling since the mid-2010s. Most of these places are within a short drive of Donelson Plaza:
| Spot | Address | In Donelson since |
|---|---|---|
| Homegrown Taproom & Kitchen | 2720 Old Lebanon Road, Donelson Plaza | 2015 |
| Nectar Urban Cantina | 206 McGavock Pike | September 2017 |
| Caliber Coffee Co. | 2513 Lebanon Pike | Spring 2018 |
| Tennfold Brewing | 2408 Lebanon Pike | Open now, house beer and a full kitchen |
| Edley's Bar-B-Que | 2719 Lebanon Pike | Open now |
| Maminette | 104 Graylynn Drive | Fall 2026 |
Homegrown calls itself female-owned and "Donelson-grown" since 2015. Keith and Alaina Schwartz opened Caliber Coffee Co. in spring 2018, according to Eater Nashville, which also dates Nectar Urban Cantina to September 2017. Homegrown and Edley's sit almost across from each other on the plaza end of the corridor.
The growth continued last year. In September 2025, WKRN covered the opening of The Red Door Saloon's Donelson location, the bar's third in Tennessee. A neighbor across the street told the station he had watched it being built for eight or nine months. Owner Ric Clarke told WKRN, "we just want to be part of what's going on here."
That phrase, "what's going on here," is the pull every newcomer on this list is describing.
Why Hattie B's Waited for Donelson
The next big arrival says the same thing more directly. Hattie B's Hot Chicken plans to open at 2725 Old Lebanon Pike in summer 2027, its seventh Nashville-area location, Whatnow reported, citing the Nashville Business Journal. The restaurant will move into a former bank building of about 3,200 square feet, with a 1,000-square-foot covered patio and about 50 parking spaces.
The reason is the most telling part. According to Whatnow's account of the Business Journal interview, co-founder Nick Bishop Jr. said the company had watched Donelson for several years and was drawn by the neighborhood's growing mix of local restaurants and bars. The article names Red Door Saloon and Edley's as part of that mix. Chief Development Officer Dave Oster said finding real estate that fits the brand has been one of the hardest parts of its expansion, so patience matters when choosing a site.
Summer 2027 is a target, not an opening date, so treat it that way. Still, the logic is plain. A regional brand that started in Midtown in 2012 picked this corridor because independent owners had already shown it works.
A Neighborhood That Now Throws Its Own Festival
On October 3, the same businesses showed what this momentum looks like when it moves outdoors. The Friends of Donelson nonprofit held the first Knoblin Fest at Donelson Plaza. NewsChannel 5 explained that the name comes from a legendary goblin said to live on Todd's Knob, with "Knoblin" combining "knob" and "goblin." A separate NewsChannel 5 explainer traces the folklore to early-1800s stories of strange sightings, missing food and livestock, and odd noises around the knob.
In the month before the festival, the Knoblin Trail ran from September 4 to October 3. Donelson businesses joined in with themed food and drinks, classes, products, discounts and hidden Knoblins. On their post-festival page, the organizers describe it as an all-volunteer event that drew thousands of people, and they say it will return.
The neighborhood's local businesses served as the festival's route map. Captain D's spent decades as Donelson's best-known export. The festival celebrated an older and stranger piece of local history, with independent shops as the stops.
Dates to Know Before the Year Ends
- Friday, October 30. The Hip Donelson Farmers Market holds the last Friday of its season, 4 to 7 p.m. at 2705 Lebanon Pike. That's tomorrow, for anyone reading this the day it posts.
- Through October 30. Metro Parks lists Stones River Greenway construction running from the US 70/Lebanon Pike and Stones River Road intersection toward Lytle Bend. A closure where the trail enters the river is still in place, so check the Metro Parks closures page before a long walk.
- November 21 and 22. The Donelson-Hermitage Chamber holds its seventh annual Holiday Market at the Mansion at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, and admission is free.
- Saturday, December 5. The DH Holiday Hustle 5K and 1-Mile Walk/Run starts at 3:30 p.m. at 120 Donelson Pike, just before the Donelson-Hermitage Christmas Parade.
That leaves a Saturday morning between now and the holiday market for a galette on Graylynn Drive and a walk past the corner where Mr. D's Seafood and Hamburgers opened in 1969.
Whether you have lived in Donelson for years or have family about to arrive, knowing which coffee shop opens early and which Friday market is wrapping up is the kind of local detail ReLo Nash passes along to every client. If someone you know is getting ready to move to Nashville, Misty would love to show them this side of Lebanon Pike. Book your relocation consultation.
