85 Years of Making Friends First
In 1939, a 23-year-old named Lynn Chandler bought a soda fountain on Elliston Place and started something Nashville still can't get enough of. Pull up a stool — here's how it happened.
Elliston Place Soda Shop | Our Story
The Boy on the Bicycle
Lynn Chandler grew up pedaling between Nashville pharmacies, learning the trade and falling hard for the soda fountain along the way. In 1939, at just 23, he bought the fountain business out of Elliston Pharmacy — and never looked back.
King of the Meat-and-Three
Chandler is widely credited as the first restaurateur to offer three vegetable sides with a meat — a format that became the backbone of Southern dining. His rule was simple: "You have to make a friend before you make a customer."
A Long Line of Love
Mary and Jack Mills met here in the 1950s, married, and came back decades later with their granddaughter to share a meal at the same spot. The Tennessee General Assembly honored the shop with an official proclamation, and it's now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Meet the Pie Lady
For over 30 years, Ms. Linda Melton has been baking the shop's legendary pies from secret family recipes handed down by her grandmother. Her coconut meringue alone has kept people coming back longer than most restaurants stay open.
Same Counter, New Stewards
When the shop's future became uncertain in 2019, Tony and Lisa Giarratana stepped in to preserve everything that mattered — the chrome, the counter, the welcome, and Ms. Linda's pies. The next 85 years are already underway.
