Nashville diner feeds hundreds to empty coolers after power outage

Описание: (30 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nashville, Tennessee - 29 January 2026
1. Wide of people lined up for food as smoke from a smoker rises up
2. Mid of a server handing out free burgers and fries
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Bret Tuck, owner of Brown's Diner:
"Just like everybody else we we lost power and so we've been up here just keeping the coolers cold and trying to hold on to the product as long as we possibly could. Kept everything cold and then basically it's getting to that point where you get fresh ground beef, it doesn't last that long. So we're towards the end of its shelf life and I knew I need to get rid of it somehow. I didn't want to just go to waste."
4. Wide of a dark neon sign that says "Brown's Diner"
5. Tight on bowls stacked up in a dark restaurant
6. Tight on red cups stacked up in the dark in Brown's Diner
7. Tight on a server handing out food
++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED++
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Bret Tuck, owner of Brown's Diner:
"And we were like, let's just get a crew together and let's put it on the food truck and cook as much as we can and give it away. Grilling as fast as we can to get everybody fed."
9. Tight on cooking cheeseburgers on a grill
++SOUNDBITE COVERED++
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Bret Tuck, owner of Brown's Diner:
"So we had a lot of beef, about 1,000 pounds in the walk in. We fed about 500 or 600 people today is what I'm guessing."
11. Tight on cook making cheeseburgers
12 Tight on a small stage area in the dark in Brown's Diner
++SOUNDBITE COVERED++
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Bret Tuck, owner of Brown's Diner:
"I'm kinda assuming it might be a few more days at least before we get power back. So we're gonna go out here and give away as much food as we can. And if I don't give enough away today, we'll probably do it again tomorrow."
14. Tight on smoke coming out of a smoker
STORYLINE:
Bret Tuck, owner of Brown’s Diner, a 99-year-old institution in Nashville, Tennessee, lost power over the weekend with coolers full of about 1,000 pounds of ground beef and other food.

Because the weather stayed at or below freezing for multiple days, Tuck said they were able to keep the food at a safe temperature for a little while.

“We’ve been up here keeping the coolers cold and trying to hold onto the product as long as we possibly could," said Tuck. "We kept everything cold and then basically it’s getting to that point when you have fresh ground beef, it doesn’t last that long. So we’re at the end of its shelf life and I knew I had to get rid of it somehow. I didn’t want it to go to waste.”

He said they considered taking it to a shelter or donating it. But he also had a food truck and so they decided to just use the truck to cook as much as they could and give it away.

On Thursday, a line snaked around the parking lot as cheeseburgers, chili dogs, fries and tots were handed out. He also had a smoker to cook chicken wings and sold $5 beers.

“Now we’re just grilling as fast as we can to get everybody fed,” Tuck said.

He estimated about 500-600 people came to eat, many of them also without power in the neighborhood. A fiddle player and a banjo player set up on the covered patio and kids ran around throwing footballs in the parking lot.

He said a lot of restaurants without power in Nashville are having to make the same decisions about food sitting in pantries, coolers and walk-ins.

AP video by Kristin M. Hall

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