Bird s nest
‘
OPENS ON THE CORNER OF MAIN
~ story and other photos by Bob Gustin
Group photo of staff at the opening by Jack E. Harden.
Nearly 1,200 people were fed at the Bird’ s Nest on Main on its opening day, as locals and tourists flocked to check out the new restaurant in the oldest commercial building in Brown County.
The pace has slowed some since then, but the landmark building at the corner of Main and Van Buren streets in Nashville remains busy since it opened Sept. 23 after nearly a year of extensive remodeling.
“ Honestly, the response has blown us away,” said coowner Tyra Miller.
“ We hoped people would be excited, but there’ s a big difference between hoping they show up and watching them line up to come through the door. We’ ve been humbled, exhausted, and grateful.”
Long lines of customers waiting for tables at the former Hobnob Corner Restaurant have spilled out onto the sidewalks.
“ It’ s an incredible compliment to have people willing to wait for a table. We don’ t take that lightly. We offer text service when their table is open so that they can enjoy Nashville while they wait. We put a lot of heart into this place. Seeing the community embrace it has meant more than we could adequately explain.” Miller said.
Manager Casie Zoellner said food prep time was slower at the original Bird’ s Nest restaurant on Franklin Street. The new location is getting customers’ orders ready more quickly.
“ Our goal has been to improve wait times now that we have a larger kitchen and more people working on getting food out,” Miller said.“ We make food fresh with premium ingredients and while we never want to be confused with fast food, we want everyone to enjoy the experience from start to finish.”
Zoellner said the restaurant’ s staff was increased from about 25 at the old location to about 35 at the current site.
Like any new business, there have been obstacles and kinks to work out along the way.
26 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2026