Judge Bean's BBQ, the Texas-style smokehouse that has fed Brentwood families for 16 years, will permanently close its doors on Saturday, November 14, 2026. The restaurant at 7022 Church Street East plans to spend its final month thanking the customers who turned it into a neighborhood institution, capping things off with a farewell party that evening.
The closure was announced in a message from the restaurant, as reported by Williamson Source, which did not include a stated reason for shutting down. The farewell party begins at 5 p.m. on November 14 and runs until closing, with the restaurant saying additional details about the celebration will be announced in the weeks ahead.
Bobby Burton and Andy Johnson, both local, took over the Texas-style BBQ spot together in 2010, according to the same outlet's earlier coverage of the business. Nick Anneken has more recently identified himself as the restaurant's owner, saying on the company's website that he took over in 2022.
A Gathering Spot Brentwood Called Its Own
Judge Bean's BBQ described itself as the “Cheers” bar of Brentwood, a nod to the kind of everybody-knows-your-name familiarity it built over the years. The restaurant hosted family celebrations, retirement parties, weddings and community events, and it ran an annual chili cook-off that became a fixture for regulars. It also prepared Thanksgiving turkeys for customers during the holidays.
In its announcement, the restaurant thanked the community for years of support and memories, with Nick and the Judge Bean's BBQ family expressing gratitude to current and former employees, longtime customers and regulars. “We've watched your kids grow up, catered your families' weddings and retirement parties, and been part of so many celebrations along the way,” the restaurant said. It added, “To everyone who has made Bean's feel like home, thank you. You've given this double wide its heart.”
A Second Closure for the Brand
This is not the first time Judge Bean's BBQ has pulled back. The company's Franklin location at 509 Hillsboro Road, which opened in 2017 under co-owners Bobby Burton and Andy Johnson, closed down while the original Brentwood restaurant remained open at the time, Williamson Source reported. The restaurant said then that the Franklin spot simply never became a sustainable business, noting, “But for whatever reason, it just didn't work out.”
Part of a Rough Year for Middle Tennessee Restaurants
Brentwood's loss fits into a broader pattern playing out across the region this year. The closure joins a growing list of restaurant shutdowns across Middle Tennessee in 2026, according to WSMV, which reported that Berry Hill's Brothers' Burger Joint also announced it would close after nine years, serving customers and employees since opening in 2017, with its final day set for October 3.
More than a dozen Nashville restaurants have closed in 2026, many of them after operating in the city for decades, per the station's separate tally. Owners and operators have pointed to rising property taxes, rent prices and failed negotiations with property managers as common reasons behind the wave of closures. Among the year's other high-profile losses, Cock of the Walk on Music Valley Drive announced in June it would close after 42 years as its owners said they were ready to retire, while Varallo's shut its doors in February after 119 years in Nashville.
For now, Judge Bean's BBQ is asking its Brentwood customers for one more month of visits before the smoker goes cold for good. The farewell party on November 14 will mark the end of a run that began in 2010 and turned a double-wide on Church Street East into, by its own description, the place where everybody knew your name.
