If you live in Franklin and you haven't already hit follow on @franklinfoodz, consider this your sign. The Instagram account run by a local husband and wife duo has become one of Middle Tennessee's trusted guides to the ever-expanding dining scene in our own backyard. It's a love letter to the restaurants that make Franklin such a remarkable place to eat. @franklinfoodz shows up hungry and has never met a plate they weren't willing to share their opinion on. We sat down with the couple behind the account to find out how it all started and how they keep it real. We chatted with the mystery couple who are anonymous by design and perfectly happy to let the food and fun steal the show.
How would you describe @franklinfoodz? What is it and who is it for?
- @franklinfoodz is a local culinary guide run by a husband-and-wife duo passionate about highlighting the best of Williamson County dining. We are local foodies who grew up in Franklin, and we try to blend a combination of honoring long time local spots with shared excitement for new dining experiences. We built it as a trusted resource for locals, newcomers, and weekend visitors looking to discover incredible meals, standout coffee, and the hidden neighborhood spots that make our community special.
What made you want to create it?
- It really started naturally. We’ve always loved documenting our meals, coffee stops, and dessert runs whenever we went out. Eventually, we realized we had this huge collection of photos that we would refer back to and a genuine enthusiasm for Franklin’s dining scene. We wanted to create a central space to showcase the places we truly love eating at, celebrate local kitchens, and give our community a visual guide to the best spots in town.
Walk us through what a typical day looks like. How do you decide where to eat and what to post?
- It usually starts with a running list of spots we’re excited to visit, whether it's a new opening or a local staple we haven’t been to in a while. Since we both love cooking and baking at home, dining out is something we truly look forward to planning. We’re always on the hunt for incredible flavors and great presentation, so on those days, we love capturing the food and space in real time and sharing the standout dishes our followers need to try.
Franklin has a mix of longtime local institutions and exciting new arrivals. How do you balance celebrating the places that have been here forever with shining a light on what's new and worth trying?
- We see them as two sides of the same coin. Since we grew up here, there’s something so comforting about our longtime local staples—places with deep history where you can count on the food to deliver time and time again. It gives our growing community the “small town feel” that everyone loves about Franklin. With new spots, we love the excitement of trying fresh concepts and seeing how they measure up. Beautiful aesthetics and great vibes might draw people in initially, but if the quality of the food doesn't match, diners won't come back. At the end of the day, flavor creates longevity—and every beloved local institution was once the new kid on the block. We are trying to find those spots that people will want to revisit time and time again.
Is there a meal, a dish, or a restaurant experience that stands out above everything else?
- It’s impossible to pick just one because Franklin offers incredible experiences across different times of day. For breakfast, it’s hard to beat “The Throwback Early Riser” at Puckett’s in downtown Franklin or a breakfast sandwich at The Country Boy. For dinner, we love the ambience and bold flavors at Red Pony. And for a special night out, Sperry’s sets the standard for quality and service—from their exceptional steakhouse service and quality cuts down to finishing the meal with their classic tableside Bananas Foster.
What do you look for beyond the food itself? Do atmosphere, service, value, and presentation factor into how you cover a place?
- Absolutely. A great dish is only part of the equation—atmosphere, presentation, service, and value all weigh heavily into how we view a place. Exceptional service or a warm, inviting space can transform a good meal into an unforgettable memory. When a kitchen pays attention to those details, it shows they genuinely care about the guest's total experience, and that’s what keeps people coming back.
Franklin's food scene has exploded in recent years. What do you think is driving that growth?
- Franklin has become such a desirable place to live, raise a family, and build a business, so a thriving culinary scene is a natural extension of that growth. As more people call Franklin home, there’s a real demand for thoughtful, scratch-made menus and standout dining experiences in order to bring people in. Talented chefs and operators recognize that locals here appreciate quality and want to support great food right in our own backyard, without always having to drive into Nashville. We truly desire a community feel here in Franklin, and we love supporting local businesses when we eat out.
Do you venture outside of Franklin to Brentwood, Nashville, or other neighboring communities?
- While our heart is rooted in Franklin, we frequently venture into Nashville and surrounding pockets when we find something special or hear about a great dining experience. We view @franklinfoodz as a curated guide for local food lovers, so if a dish or restaurant outside our immediate city limits delivers an exceptional experience, we’re excited to share it.
Where do you see @franklinfoodz going from here? Do you partner with restaurants? Do you want to grow your following?
- Our goal is simply to keep growing alongside Franklin and continue showcasing the incredible culinary talent here. We love partnering with local restaurants—especially when it gives us a chance to share the history of a beloved staple or spotlight a new seasonal menu. While seeing our audience grow is exciting, what we love most is having an engaged community of followers who genuinely look forward to our posts and rely on us to guide their next great meal out.
@franklinfoodz
While seeing our audience grow is exciting, what we love most is having an engaged community of followers who genuinely look forward to our posts and rely on us to guide their next great meal out.
We’ve always loved documenting our meals, coffee stops, and dessert runs whenever we went out. Eventually, we realized we had this huge collection of photos that we would refer back to and a genuine enthusiasm for Franklin’s dining scene.