Photo: Getty Images
It's the end of an era. A popular Nashville restaurant has closed have nearly 50 years of serving the community of Music City.
Hermitage House Smorgasbord permanently shut down on Tuesday (May 16) after 48 years of serving up homecooked favorites like fried chicken and catfish, per WKRN. It seemingly went out with a bang as customers arrived in droves to line up for food and friendly service for the last time.
"They really liked me as a person and they loved all their guests here, you know, everyone was special to these people. The treated us like we were part of their family," said customer David Smith. Fellow diner Annette Goins added, "The food, the friendship, just the whole atmosphere is just wonderful."
The longtime family-owned favorite was run by the Prosser family, with co-owner and youngest brother Tim Prosser saying they learned "everything we know about cooking" from their father who was a chef in the Army. Pete Prosser added that their restaurant was more than just the food the served; it was the community they cultivated.
"It was never about the food. It wasn't about the money," Pete said. "It was about the people; we love people, we're people person, my mother especially. We never met a stranger."
Pete said it was a "real blessing" to be a part of the community during its almost 50 years of service, adding, "It changed our lives and we hope we changed the lives of people along the way."
After sharing throwback photos of the restaurant's history on its Facebook page in the lead-up to its closing and after finally closing up shop, Hermitage House Smorgasbord ended its decades-long run with a simple message to its supporters: "Its been wonderful We Love Yall."
In a last act to give back to the community that showed its support over the last half-century, the restaurant said it donated its food to the Nashville Rescue Mission after closing its doors for the last time.