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Mar 06, 2025

Auto industry giant sells ex-buffet restaurant site | Development | nashvillepost.com

Not quite two years after the $2.9 million sale of an East Davidson County property that once housed one of Nashville’s iconic old-school restaurants, the property has once again changed ownership

Not quite two years after the $2.9 million sale of an East Davidson County property that once housed one of Nashville’s iconic old-school restaurants, the property has once again changed ownership hands — seemingly for a loss.

3131 Lebanon Pike

According to a Davidson County Register of Deeds document, the new owner of the former home of Hermitage House Smorgasbord is an LLC affiliated with Columbia, Mo.-based Club Car Wash. Club Car Wash paid $2,125,000 for the 1.56-acre property, which offers an address of 3131 Lebanon Pike and is located near Donelson.

In May 2023, Boing US Holdco Inc., which shares an address with car-centric company Driven Brands Inc., paid $2.9 million for the property (read here). In a subsequent deal, Driven Brands took ownership in its own name.

Driven Brands ranks among the world’s largest vehicle service conglomerates with more than 4,400 locations (via multiple brands) in 15 countries servicing approximately 50 million vehicles annually. Driven Brand entities include Meineke, collision repair franchise MAACO and International Car Wash.

Founded in 2006, Club Car Wash offers locations in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. In November, the company opened its 200th location (in Columbia, Mo.), according to its website. In Nashville, Club Car Wash operates a Bellevue location.

The seller in the aforementioned 2023 transaction was Hermitage House Smorgasbord Inc., which comprises the Prosser family and paid $168,240 for one parcel of the property in 1994 and $85,000 for a second parcel in 1996, Metro records show. The Prossers also owned Hermitage House Smorgasbord and closed the restaurant in 2023 after a 48-year run, WKRN Channel 2 reports.

Hermitage House Smorgasbord was known for its standard American fare such as fried chicken, catfish and macaroni and cheese, served buffet style.

Nashville’s Mathews family — with its members known for real estate investing, development and construction — once owned the property, Metro records note.