Walter and Susie Swett Founders

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alter and Susie Swett, Tennessee natives, became independent business owners in 1938 when they succeeded against the odds and opened a gas station in Nashville. The challenge of having only a second grade education, raising a family with ten children to feed, nine of his own and one niece, as well as the limitations of the times, inspired Walter to convert adversity into opportunity. With the support of his wife, which culminated in a marriage that endured sixty-two years, Walter and Susie purchased Joyland Tavern on 11th Avenue in 1952 while operating Swett's Grocery on 28th and Albion. Then, in 1954 they opened Swett's Dinette on 28th and Clifton, the foundation for today's Swett's Restaurant.

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avid Swett, the youngest son of Walter and Susie, was raised in the family business along with his brothers. While his sisters pursued careers in education, David and his brothers were guided by the entrepreneural spirit that was instilled in them by their parents at an early age. David, along with his brother Morrris, not only maintained the family tradition, but continued to follow the blueprint that was created by their parents, and in 1988 they constructed Swett's Restaurant at the same location on 28th and Clifton where Swett's Dinette once stood. Today, under David's leadership and his business saavy, the restaurant continues to flourish and thus remains a popular landmark in the Nashville community. The legacy lives on.