A long-vacant Shoney's building on Long Hollow Pike in Goodlettsville is finally coming back to life, and this time it will be dishing out Cajun-style seafood boils. The City of Goodlettsville announced that Juicy Seafood has received a 30-day temporary certificate of occupancy for its new location at 307 Long Hollow Pike, with an opening expected within the next week or two, though an exact date has not yet been announced.
According to a City of Goodlettsville, TN Government Facebook post, the temporary certificate was issued by the city's Community Development Services department, allowing the restaurant to move forward with final preparations while remaining construction and safety items are wrapped up. The post also included a parking notice for the property, spelling out rules against disabled or inoperable vehicles, abandoned or stored cars, expired registration, blocking dumpsters, and parking in fire lanes or handicapped spaces.
The building itself has sat largely empty since its days as a Shoney's, which temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened, according to the Sumner County Source. The freestanding building spans 5,220 square feet on a 1.14-acre lot built in 1987, with signalized corner access and dual driveways connecting to both Long Hollow Pike and Northcreek Boulevard, per commercial listing records from Avison Young. The parcel last changed hands in 2013 for a recorded sale price of $965,837, according to Davidson County property assessment records.
A $350,000 Remodel Behind the Scenes
The transformation from shuttered diner to seafood destination didn't come cheap. The Goodlettsville Codes Department issued a commercial remodel permit in January for a $350,000 renovation of the property, carried out by contractor Lee Consulting, according to city records. That investment reflects a substantial overhaul of both the interior and exterior of the aging chain-restaurant shell.
The site has a layered history beyond its recent vacancy. Back in 2017, while still operating as a Shoney's, the location was among 14 Middle Tennessee restaurants named in a nationwide point-of-sale malware data breach investigation involving management firm Best American Hospitality Corporation, according to Patch. More recently, in 2024, the city selected the address as one of its municipal art sites, wrapping a utility box there with local artist Susan Mayo's piece Union Hill Baptist as part of an 11-location placemaking project.
Part of a Growing Middle Tennessee Chain
Juicy Seafood is no stranger to the Nashville area. The Cajun-style boil concept, known for letting customers customize orders with items like snow crab, lobster tails, and crawfish, already operates locations on Nolensville Pike, Gallatin Pike in East Nashville and Inglewood, Hermitage, Antioch, Smyrna, and a Juicy Seafood Express in Madison. Hoodline first covered the brand's regional debut back in 2019, when it opened its East Nashville outpost on Gallatin Pike.
The Goodlettsville project fits into a broader wave of change hitting the city's commercial corridors. In March, a former Arby's on Conference Drive got new banners for DosBros Fresh Mexican Grill, another regional chain moving into a long-vacant fast-food shell, as Hoodline reported in its piece on the Arby's-to-DosBros conversion. That turnover has accelerated since the 54-year-old RiverGate Mall permanently closed in February to make way for a 57-acre mixed-use redevelopment, a shift Hoodline detailed in coverage of the mall's closure and redevelopment plans.
For now, Goodlettsville residents watching the Long Hollow Pike site are left waiting on a firm opening date, which the city has not yet announced. With the temporary certificate of occupancy in hand and the parking rules already posted, the seafood boils appear to be just weeks away from landing at the former Shoney's address.
