Godfather of Nashville's dining scene Randy Rayburn dies at 74

Hi, Nashville! It's Tennessean business reporter Hadley Hitson here to update you on this week's major food news in Nashville.

Last night, The Tennessean learned that prominent Nashville restaurateur Randy Rayburn has died at the age of 74 . He transformed the city's restaurant industry with staples like Sunset Grill and Midtown Cafe.

“Randy was the OG of the Nashville restaurant scene,” former Tennessean food reporter Jim Myers said. “Starting in the late '80s and around 1990, (Randy) defined what was the modern restaurant scene in Nashville.”

He was a beloved figure in the community , and the loss will be felt throughout Music City.

Also this week, resident restaurant reviewer Brad Schmitt and "Murder on Music Row" podcast host Keith Sharon teamed up to name the 10 best restaurants in the Nashville airport . Earlier this month, Brad and Keith blocked off an entire day and got ahold of two BNA passports, a new program that allows non-ticketed airport guests access to the restaurants past security.

They asked the newsroom for song suggestions, put in their headphones and trekked through the concourses trying burgers, hot chicken, tacos and more. The Pharmacy Burger Parlor, Puckett's Restaurant and Smashville all landed among the top five. Here's their full list.

One of my favorite stories to write this last week was a look inside one of Nashville's fastest-growing chicken chains: Waldo's Chicken & Beer . The brand opened its first restaurant in Germantown back in 2019, and now, there are 20 locations nationwide with at least 10 more opening in the next year.

Founder and namesake Mark Waldo sat down with me to talk about how that kind of expansion can happen so quickly.

“You open one to prove the concept. You try and get to three to prove you can make money doing it, and then you try and get to 10 as fast as you can,” he said. “And then from there, it becomes very organic.”

Check out the full story to read more about his business and how often he hears some iteration of the "Where's Waldo?" joke. (Hint: it's not rare)

If airport food and fried chicken aren't your thing, don't worry. Plenty of other food news happened this week too:

• Nashville's first all-omakase restaurant Sushi Bar opened in the Gulch . Behind a speakeasy-style unmarked door, just 12 guests at a time can sit for the chef's rotating menu.
• Senior dining reporter Mackensy Lunsford's series on Tennessee's whiskey industry explains how the Tennessee Whiskey Trail contributes billions to the Nashville economy and answers all your questions about what differentiates Tennessee whiskey .
• The cult-favorite gas station Buc-ee's is opening a new location in Murfreesboro with its signature fudge, beaver nuggets and other roadtrip bites. Here's an update on where the project stands.
• Chuy's Tex-Mex, which has three Nashville locations, got a new owner. Darden Restaurant Company, of popular chains like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, announced its purchase valued around $605 million.
• Subway is bringing three 95-foot long "Dip ‘N Slides" to Nashville this weekend to promote its new Footlong Dippers. Here's how you can find them and participate .

That's all for now, Nashville! As always, let me know if there's anything you want to see from The Tennessean's dining coverage or if you have any must-eat recommendations. You can reach me at hhitson@tennessean.com . I'll see you in your inbox next week.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Godfather of Nashville's dining scene Randy Rayburn dies at 74