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Rotier s Restaurant one of the most legendary eating and drinking establishments in Nashville history is now permanently closed after a roughly a 75-year run,
The Tennessean reports.
Located at 2413 Elliston Place near the Vanderbilt University campus, Rotier s has been closed since the pandemic hit. It was set to celebrate 75 years of operations in the fall.
A family-owned business known for its cheeseburger on French bread, meat-and-three plates and quirky interior, Rotier s has suffered numerous personnel setbacks over the years. John Rotier Sr. died in 1981, Evelyn Rotier died in 2014, John Rotier Jr. died in 1999, and Charlie Rotier died in September. Longtime Rotier s cook Ben Malone also died last year.
The Tennessean reports.
Located at 2413 Elliston Place near the Vanderbilt University campus, Rotier s has been closed since the pandemic hit last spring. It was set to have celebrated 75 years of operations last fall.
A family-owned business known for its cheeseburger on French bread, meat-and-threes and quirky interior space, Rotier s has suffered numerous personnel setbacks over the years. The morning daily reports John Rotier Sr. died in 1981, Evelyn Rotier died in 2014, John Rotier Jr., died in 1999, and Charlie Rotier died in September. (Read the
Scene s recent appreciation of Charlie
The Tennessean reports the building s owner decided not to renew the business lease, which was the final blow to the restaurant and the family. Second-generation owner Margaret Ann Rotier Crouse said facing the reality of a permanent closing has been hard.
Charlie Rotier
Rotier’s proprietor
As part of the second generation of the Rotier family to operate their iconic eponymous diner, Charlie Rotier was personally responsible for feeding decades’ worth of Vanderbilt and Father Ryan students (before the high school made its way out to the ’burbs in the early 1990s). Rotier’s signature French-bread burger has probably also been responsible for part of the earnings of some of those Vandy students who went on to become cardiologists, but it remains a beloved part of the city’s culinary history from long before retro “smashburgers” began to appear on the menus of fine-dining establishments.