A West Coast-style burger stand born in downtown Nashville is setting up shop in Franklin, with signage already up at 330 Mayfield Drive in the Cool Springs area. Mr. J's Original will occupy the building that formerly housed Ground Burger, bringing its signature pastrami sandwich, double cheeseburgers, and chili fries to Williamson County for the first time.
Owner Jason Flores confirmed the Franklin location's opening, according to Williamson Source, marking his first expansion into the county. Flores, who took over the former Hermitage Cafe building in Nashville to launch the original Mr. J's, has not yet shared an official opening date for the new spot, per the same outlet's report. The company posted on social media, “Hope to see y'all in Franklin soon!”
A Second Life for a Former Burger Spot
The 330 Mayfield Drive building carries its own local burger history. It previously housed Ground Restaurant, also known as Ground Burger, a concept launched by restaurateur Matt Gonzales that first opened at that address in 2015 before expanding to West Main Street in Franklin, according to Williamson Source. Flores explained in June that he chose the site specifically because it offered a second-generation restaurant space with existing infrastructure, a move that significantly lowers startup buildout costs, as reported by WhatNow.
That practical approach echoes how Flores built the original Mr. J's Original in the first place. He opened the flagship at 45 Hermitage Ave in Nashville's Rutledge Hill district in early 2024, taking over a building the historic, 24-hour Hermitage Cafe had occupied for more than 30 years before it closed on Halloween 2021 after the land was sold to an out-of-state development firm, WhatNow notes. That original location runs out of a compact 1,450-square-foot footprint with seating for up to 40 indoor guests.
Same Menu, New Zip Code
The Franklin location will carry the same menu as the existing Nashville restaurant, including burgers, chicken tenders, chili fries, and the signature pastrami sandwich. Local food reviewers previously praised the concept's retro diner aesthetic and offerings like hand-carved pastrami, corned beef, double cheeseburgers, and house-made onion rings, according to Edible Nashville, with critics noting the menu's classic restraint compared to gourmet burger spots that pile on toppings.
Flores is not stopping at Franklin. He hopes to expand the Mr. J's Original brand further and has revealed plans to eventually launch additional restaurant concepts, including a Mexican restaurant, per WhatNow's reporting.
Landing in a Crowded Burger Corridor
The independent diner's arrival lands squarely in the middle of a fast-casual burger boom around Cool Springs. California-based In-N-Out Burger opened its first Tennessee store near Franklin's Berry Farms in February, an expansion Hoodline previously reported also included a 100,000-square-foot Eastern Territory operations center built alongside the store. Whataburger followed in March with a new Cool Springs location on Mallory Lane, deepening the fast-casual competition just blocks from Mayfield Drive.
The surrounding commercial corridor keeps growing too. Construction broke ground in August on a mixed-use addition at CoolSprings Galleria featuring 391 residential units and 15,000 square feet of retail space, according to a Williamson Inc. update shared on Facebook, adding more potential foot traffic to a stretch of Franklin already courted by national burger chains and, now, a Nashville-born independent aiming to carve out its own following.
