EAGLEVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — About 45 minutes south of Nashville, tucked along the town’s main road, Grindstone Cowboy could easily be lost amongst the quaint, Western feel of Eagleville.
Instead, the restaurant — which also serves as a café, bar and music venue — is a place that represents the very essence of a small town.
Country musician Craig Campbell and his wife Mindy have called Eagleville home for 20 years. The couple has immersed themselves into their community in countless ways, including through Craig’s service as an Eagleville councilmember.
April 2025 will mark three years of Grindstone Cowboy being the Campbells’ second home. It’s a passion project that quickly turned into so much more.
“People will come everyday. We name them by their drink…and everybody knows everybody’s names,” Mindy Campbell said. “It’s kind of like the old show ‘Cheers.’ It feels like that.”
“And we didn’t even try and create that — it just happened,” Craig added.
The city of Eagleville has a population under 1,000 and exactly two other restaurants.
“From day 1, [it’s] been crazy — like we had no idea,” Craig told News 2. “We thought we were opening a coffee shop, and we realized within 30 days that we were a full-blown restaurant. It was something the community needed and the community wanted, and we didn’t even know it.”
Grindstone Cowboy regular Sonny Burkhalter and his wife Renee visit several times a week, sitting at the bar to chat with the Campbells.
“This is our coffee shop, our food, our friendship,” Sonny said. “Most of the people we know now, we met right here at Grindstone.”
The Burkhalters are far from the only ones who have made themselves a trusted and loved face inside the shop.
“If we’re getting busy, [our customers will] literally get back there and start doing dishes or start running food for us,” Mindy said, laughing.
Grindstone Cowboy is truly the town’s community center. They host all sorts of events from trivia nights to weddings. The Campbells said they’ve even had customers propose inside their restaurant.
This year, the Campbells will begin expanding, starting first in Shelbyville.
“We also have another one that’s going to open in 2026 down in Florida that we will own,” Craig explained. “I hope to drive down and go anywhere in the United States and be able to go to a Grindstone Cowboy.”
If you’re ever on the outskirts of Rutherford County and need a place to eat, or simply want to meet some friendly folks, Grindstone Cowboy has quickly become the place to be in Eagleville. They’re open 6 days a week and closed on Sundays.
