On Franklin Road this fall, the changes show up as awnings. At Brentwood Place, Sephora's plans call for swapping blue awnings for black ones. At Hill Center Brentwood, a green-and-white awning was approved for SusieCakes. Over on Church Street East, a barbecue restaurant that calls its building "this double wide" holds a farewell party this Saturday.
This fall's arrivals are tenant swaps inside two established centers, and the Brentwood Planning Commission reviews each one as a storefront change. The business leaving this month is a standalone, independent restaurant that described itself as Brentwood's gathering place.
The Double Wide on Church Street East
Judge Bean's BBQ, at 7022 Church Street East, is scheduled to close for good on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026. The Williamson Herald reported that the announcement was signed by "Nick and the Judge Bean's BBQ family" and gave no reason for the closing.
The message, as Williamson Source published it, lists what the restaurant had become over the years:
"We've watched your kids grow up, catered your families' weddings and retirement parties, and been part of so many celebrations along the way. What a time we've had together."
The same report says Judge Bean's described itself as the "Cheers" bar of Brentwood. It was also known for its Thanksgiving turkeys and its annual chili cook-off. This year, Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26, almost two weeks after the last day of service.
The farewell party starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, and runs until closing. The restaurant's sign-off line was "You've given this double wide its heart."
The Franklin Road Ledger
The arrivals are all at two addresses on Franklin Road. Here is where each one stands this week.
| Business | Location | What it replaces | Status this week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bad Breakfast | Brentwood Place, 330 Franklin Road, Suite 226-B | New suite in the center | Open since Nov. 5, daily 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Sephora | Brentwood Place, 330 Franklin Road | Columbia Sportswear, which closed in January 2026 | Storefront plans reviewed Oct. 5; expected early 2027 |
| SusieCakes | Hill Center Brentwood, 213 Franklin Road, Suite 120 | Peace, Love, and Donuts | Exterior plans approved unanimously in October; listed as coming soon |
All three are moving into retail space that already exists. Sephora's review is a good example of how small the visible change can be. According to Williamson Source, the plans the Planning Commission reviewed on Oct. 5 mainly swap the existing blue awnings for black ones that match Sephora's branding. A firm in High Point, North Carolina, filed them on the retailer's behalf.
Why Brentwood Place Keeps Changing
Brentwood Place has had a lot of turnover for one season, and its owner said in advance that this was the plan. Regency Centers, a national owner and operator of open-air shopping centers, announced it had bought Brentwood Place in March 2025. At the time, the center covered about 320,000 square feet and was 95% leased, with anchors including Nordstrom Rack, Total Wine, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods and Golf Galaxy. Regency said it saw "significant value-add opportunities through lease-up and remerchandising strategies."
Remerchandising means changing which stores fill which spaces, and that's what has happened since. Columbia Sportswear's store was scheduled to close on Jan. 11, 2026. Sephora is taking its space. Big Bad Breakfast opened in the center on Nov. 5. When Regency bought the property in March 2025, it said Brentwood Place drew more than 4.3 million visitors a year.
Big Bad Breakfast fits that strategy. It's a regional chain with a chef's name behind it. James Beard Award-winning chef John Currence started it in Oxford, Mississippi. The Brentwood restaurant is the brand's 32nd location across nine states, its 10th in Tennessee and its fifth in the Greater Nashville area. In the opening release published by FranklinIs, Currence said "Brentwood has been on our list for a long time." He also said the team works to make every guest feel "like BBB has been part of the neighborhood all along." The menu covers breakfast, brunch and lunch, with Southern dishes, heart-healthy options, cocktails, mocktails and Currence's biscuits. The restaurant closes at 2:30 p.m. every day, so it isn't a dinner spot.
A Bakery Founded in the Other Brentwood
Hill Center Brentwood, further up Franklin Road, is following the same pattern on a smaller scale. SusieCakes is moving into the former Peace, Love, and Donuts space at 213 Franklin Road, Suite 120, and the center's website lists it as coming soon.
The name has a local coincidence behind it. According to Williamson Source, Susie Sarich founded SusieCakes in 2006 in Brentwood, California, using her grandmothers' recipes. The bakery is known for layer cakes, cupcakes and cookies, including its Vanilla Celebration Cake and red velvet cupcakes, and it makes decorated cakes for birthdays and weddings. Its only other Middle Tennessee bakery is at The Mall at Green Hills, so the Brentwood shop gives Williamson County its own location.
The Independents Opened Earlier in the Year
Independent arrivals did happen in 2026. They opened in late spring and summer, away from the two big centers.
Sweethaven, a locally owned ice cream shop, opened its third location at 7011 Executive Center Drive at CityPark. The Williamson Herald covered the ribbon-cutting on June 18, where staff handed out free cones. The public grand opening followed that weekend.
HoneyFire Barbeque held a grand opening for its Brentwood restaurant at 710 Old Hickory Boulevard on May 7. That makes it the newest barbecue restaurant in town as Judge Bean's closes.
The 2026 calendar so far looks like this:
- May 7: HoneyFire Barbeque holds its grand opening on Old Hickory Boulevard.
- June 18: Sweethaven holds its ribbon-cutting at CityPark.
- Oct. 5: The Planning Commission reviews Sephora's storefront at Brentwood Place.
- October: The Planning Commission approves SusieCakes' exterior plans at Hill Center.
- Nov. 5: Big Bad Breakfast opens at Brentwood Place.
- Nov. 14: Judge Bean's BBQ holds its farewell party and closes.
- Early 2027: Sephora's expected opening.
The Larger Neighbor Next Door
Regency's 2025 announcement also pointed to the next big change on this stretch of Franklin Road. It described Brentwood Place as next to a future Vanderbilt medical campus of about 350,000 square feet. In a July 14, 2026 statement, Vanderbilt Health said it is developing the former AT&T property on Franklin Road into an anchor site of about that size for specialty services. In December 2025, WSMV reported the address as 402 Franklin Road and listed the planned services, including cancer care, heart and vascular care, orthopedics, labs and imaging, Monroe Carell pediatric care and walk-in clinics.
Where December Gathers
After Judge Bean's closes, the next big community dates are on the City of Brentwood's holiday calendar, and most of them are at the library. According to the city's Nov. 4 announcement:
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 to 11 a.m.: Morning With Santa at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library, with magic shows at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.
- Monday, Dec. 7, 4 to 6 p.m.: Merry and Bright at the library, with the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. and a performance by the Brentwood High Chamber Choir.
- First week of December: Ravenswood Mansion, 1825 Wilson Pike, is lit for the holidays.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, dusk to 9 p.m.: Neighborhoods are encouraged to put out luminaries. If it rains, each neighborhood can move to the second Sunday of December.
If you're curious how the changes along Franklin Road affect your home's value, Your Nashville Agent can walk you through it. Request a Free Home Valuation, and Aaron, Mary and the team will show you how your street compares to recent Brentwood sales.
