Riverview Restaurant and Marina: Serving good food and community for decades
CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Riverview Restaurant and Marina has served good food for nearly 70 years, and it’s also brought the community together even when it faced challenges.
Located right along the Cumberland River near Ashland City, the restaurant and marina is best known for catfish, banana pudding and community.
“The restaurant was established in 1956,” Riverview Restaurant and Marina’s Vice President and General Manager, April Lawrence, told News 2. “It has had several owners since then.”
Ownership at Riverview Restaurant and Marina has changed hands a few times since 1956. Lawrence is one of the restaurant’s current co-owners.
“It has changed in little ways. A lot of it is still the same,” Lawrence said. “COVID definitely changed the way we do things. We got rid of the buffet and the salad bar. You still have the same customers who have been coming here since forever.”
(Source: WKRN)
(Source: WKRN)
(Source: WKRN)
(Source: WKRN)
(Source: WKRN)
(Source: WKRN)
Customers Sandra and Walter Robinson have eaten here since the 1980s, and it’s a place they brought their kids since they were little.
“About every week. We tried to do it on Friday night for a while,” Walter said. Then we had grandkids and sometimes, we brought them.”
However, the Robinsons’ favorite spot almost had to close their doors in 2010 due to flooding. Lawrence showed News 2 a marker that marks the height of the water that destroyed the building and forced them to rebuild. It took a year to rebuild and raise the building, which was don in case of another flood.
(Courtesy: April Lawrence)
(Courtesy: April Lawrence)
(Courtesy: April Lawrence)
(Courtesy: April Lawrence)
The Robinson family said they like the new building better than the old.
“We didn’t like them down there,” Sandra said, gesturing. “The water came in. It got really bad, but now, they’ve got up in here, so this is great.”
The restaurant faced more adversity as COVID hit the business, but they survived again and have kept many of the same staff members.
“On my staff right now, I’ve got 52, so it’ll stay like that until it slows down in the winter,” Lawrence said.
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