Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre

I’m giving this 2 stars — the 4 stars for the theatrical performance is offset by a –2 for the buffet. The performance was entertaining and enjoyable. It was hard to concentrate on the play on an empty stomach though as the food was not edible. Thank gawd for the salad and soup which was basic but edible. The entrees were entirely inedible with the «chicken parmesan» being plain baked chicken with a little cheese shoved on top with no sauce or breading or even pasta. Even the potatoes were a strange hybrid of what appeared to be powdered mash with added real lumps. Wine tasted as if it had been open for weeks.
Go for the show… eat somewhere else. We rushed home to make some sandwiches at 10.30pm.
Other reviewers mentioned this is like a college Buffet… I disagree… closer to what I imagine is served on a prison buffet
FYI when I emailed the place to let them know of our experience the owner sent me a snotty email saying «perhaps you are not buffet people». We generally aren’t but this made Golden Corral look like Stoney River!

Been there before for Christmas work party and had great time. But this time on sat dec 20^th not best experience. The food was flavorless and old. The tables we had reserved for our group. They messed up our table so were standing there with plates of food in hand not happy. They need to feed you then you watch play not eat 2 hrs then watch play its to many hours. So play starts and takes for ever when it does it is horrible. I understand putting a diff spin on classic just a little bit here and there but not whole play it truly sucked

My husband and I where so excited to visit Chaffin’s as we had been there many years ago, and had the best of memories…
Well it appears time and age has changed the Barn and its no longer what it used to be.
The cheese for the salad was the only food item that was not brown in the entire buffet. The food was bland, colourless, and quite frankly horrible.
The play we watched was about a small town of bad actors doing a rendition of a Christmas Carol, unfortunately when a play is based on bad acting, and the actors are bad actors too, it some what ends up as a horrible show.
Spending $ 200 and ending up with an evening that we rather forget and walked out of… is unfair and quite frankly taking advantage.
A change in the food would not cost a lot, but its really needed, as the current standard is appalling.
We do NOT recommend Chaffin’s Barn.

I must tell you that I have alway enjoyed chaffin’s, but it isn’t for the food it is for the entertainment. These are local actors and actresses that do an excellent job at bringing some semblance of culture at a fair price to a very unappreciative community.
I can tell you that if this venue closes it would be a great lose for Nashville and the surrounding area.
No this is not TPAC but the shows they put on are every bit as entertaining.

They seriously have some nerve charging as much as they do for such a mediocre show. I saw they had a groupon so I figured I’d try it out. It was a 2 for 1. The food was terrible. Even the other people at my table were complaining. I left still hungry. There was a buffet, it was just so bad that nobody went back for seconds. Our confirmation email said it was supposed to be at the spaghetti factory but we received a 2^nd email the weekend of the show saying Chaffin’s Barn. Chaffin’s honestly felt like a restaurant that caters to senior citizens. Funny enough we ended up going downtown afterwards and got something to eat because of how hungry we were and ended up seeing our partners from the murder mystery walk by us. We started talking again and they said they decided to go to the spaghetti factory because they were starving too! The acting was terrible. They were in character as soon as we walked in but it was supposed to be 1930’s. One couple came dressed like that. We wore business casual like they requested. The cast wasn’t dressed in 1930’s. Like nowhere close. It was all random dress? Like one guy was in a hippy get up, another was 1950’s. Most people that showed up were in jeans and a t-​shirt. Please, people, save your money and go somewhere else. It’s not even worth the coupon that they offered.

Terrible Food. The Murder Mystery Company parties are a big waste of money. Don’t get pulled into that.
The shows that Chaffin’s Barn puts on are pretty good — very entertaining. The food tastes like it’s out of a can, but unfortunately the owner is the «cook» so it probably can’t be fixed. He doesn’t realize how bad the food is because he’s making it himself. They could be packed if he would hire an actual chef.

Not sure why there are so many previous complaints — my husband and our friend LOVED it! This is a highly under-​rated theater/​dining experience here on Unilocal and I hope no one is detoured from going by the inaccurate reviews previously posted.
The food was buffet style but with many tasty options (would liken it to Golden Corral). They had something for everyone and the staff was extremely friendly! Their website doesn’t have a menu, but to give you an idea of what you may have — the night we were there they had the following: A fresh salad bar with lots of topping options, green beans, sautéed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, beans, grilled fish and rice, BBQ brisket, sliced brisket, oven roasted chicken with peppers and onions and many dinner roll choices. They have a nice beer, wine and bar menu along with great desserts.
The show we saw was hilarious and the acting was up to par with many theaters. We all felt that the acting, props and story all were awesome. Not to mention the very cool barn you’re in, along with the dinin room layout and the stage lowering from the ceiling.
Highly recommended if you want something to do that’s off the beaten path during your trip to Nashville!

After finding Chaffin’s on almost every single tourist attraction website, I thought I would give it a go for a work outing.
Food — I knew what I was getting in to when it comes to the food. In all fairness, you do not come here for the fabulous country buffet. It pretty much equals a college hot buffet line. Not so great, but wasn’t expecting it to be.
Service — The people here are what make Chaffin’s. They are clearly proud of the establishment and want all customers to have a good time. Our wait staff was attentive and our glasses were always full.
Show — Unlike most, I did not make it to a Mystery Dinner Theatre. We attended a show that was supposed to be a comedy. It was GOD AWFUL. Truly terrible acting. I wasn’t expecting an Oscar worth performance or anything, but I have see Community Theatre productions put on by high schoolers that were better than this.

Let’s say I was wanting to be a vendor and the owner was a total dick! Very rude to me.
Vote with my dollars and I won’t even set foot into that place!

First off, I will say that this past weekend was the first time I have been to Chaffin’s in at least ten years, maybe a little longer.
I felt the need to review them after reading what several other Unilocalers have written to somewhat «put things in perspective.» You don’t go to the Barn for the food. It’s a cafeteria-​style buffet, pretty much on par with Shoney’s or when you were in college. That’s how it was 10 years ago, that’s how it was Saturday night. The salad bar was fine, some of the veggies I thoroughly enjoyed, the cobbler was quite good — you get the picture. If you select the roast beef, be sure and add the au jus beside it in a crock pot. If the barbecue looks a little dry, then pick the saucy barbecued chicken. Yes, that will be messy — but what do you care? You’re at the Barn.
The live performances at the Barn have as diverse a range of themes, characters, and actors as the buffet line offers starches. You’ll see some pretty good shows there, and come on — you are supporting local actors! These folks are not on caliber with Broadway, although every once in awhile you might be pleasantly surprised at the talent, but we live in Music City. We need to support local musicians, local actors, and local non-​franchise businesses that are their outlets. Plus, it’s quite entertaining.
For this past weekend, we were in the BackStage area. If you read from the Unilocaler that refers to this space as «hot, super cramped, and inferior food…» well — they don’t visit many live entertainment performances. You know how close together the chairs are in Zanie’s? There’s an entertainment philosophy that audiences laugh more and react better when the person next to them, REALLY next to them, is laughing or gasping. That’s what they’re going for on space, and it’s the same in the larger room as well. The a/​c — well, it’s Middle Tennessee folks. May and 93 degrees. Get used to it. Inferior food? The mainstage folks go through the same buffet line the backstage does. If anything, the backstage seats 30 minutes earlier than the main stage, so that area gets a little bit of a head start and as such it’s a little fresher.
We saw the Murder Mystery show with a groupon, as pretty much everyone else did, too. Was it cheesy? Of course! Did you think an 80’s themed murder mystery show at Chaffin’s Barn wouldn’t be? Was it a little long? Maybe. Were the actors headed straight for Broadway (or Star Search as one kept chanting relentlessly)? Probably not. I did recognize one of the actors from some of the other local perforamnces I’ve seen and he was quite good. I won’t name names so as not to offend anyone.
In the email confirmation, you are asked to dress up in ’80’s or outlandish attire. We did. Of course by doing that I got picked to be one of the «suspects» and wear a goofy hat all night. Of course it was cheesy, that’s what I was counting on.
My table didn’t follow the clues very well and get very far figuring out who committed the murder that happened right at our very feet, literally. Probably this was because we were visiting and enjoying some adult beverages along the way and taking the evening in for what it was.
The waitstaff is great, and yes — they are actors from other shows for the most part. Unlike most budget-​friendly restaurants I’ve visited — our glasses were never empty and plates were cleared very promptly. Yes, they need to do that because the tables are quite small, but again — laughter is contagious and your plates will be gone before the show starts. I had about the same amount of «personal space» at the last Chamber luncheon I attended at a conference center hotel, and that plate never got cleared.
With the groupon deal, (which I suspect is almost evergreen), we paid just under $ 60 for two adults. Again, thinking back to dinner is Shoney’s basically… that means we paid about $ 10 for dinner (which you can spend at any fast food on the planet) and $ 20 for the show. That’s a deal. Price a pair of concert tickets or passes to any other live performance… you’ll be paying $ 50 each, especially after Ticketmaster charges. So if you do pay full price for a show at the Barn, once you realize the tickets themselves are roughly $ 50 and dinner is $ 10 at Shoney’s… it makes more sense.
So go, enjoy. Wear a boa if they say dress up. Hug up to the person next to you and have a good time… it’s what you’re supposed to do!

I had purchased a Groupon for the Murder Mystery. I am so glad that we didn’t pay full price. I would have really been upset then!
The room was very crowded. The tables were so close to each other that I was actually touching the person at the table behind us and our friends were touching the people behind them too. Not only that, but the tables were so tiny, that we could hardly fit a plate a piece just to eat, my friend was so crowded, he had to get his wife (who was sitting on the outside of the table) to cut his steak, becuase we had no elbow room at all.
The food was horrible! We went to eat after because we were all still hungry. Drinks were not even included in the tix price, I’m not talking alcoholic beverages, I mean, coke, tea… and then they had a tipping suggestion on the table for us to tip the waiters. $ 4 per person was the lowest suggestion. and it was a buffett!
The murder mystery part was pretty fun and entertaining, but we will not go again. Not even for the ½ price of the Groupon.

To be honest I’m not giving high marks for the food. The food is absolutely wretched at times. The spicing on the food can be bizarre and leave you wondering what exactly were they thinking in the kitchen.
As a side note, If you don’t come often you might miss the fact that your waiter is probably one of the actors from a different play. They rotate out for a couple of weeks and then act again in a different play. It’s an interesting concept to me, I suppose it keeps them employed when not in a production.
However nobody comes here to eat, they come for the show. We’ve been to the front theater a few times now and it never fails to impress. To be honest not everyone is a fantastic actor but there are a couple of people who amaze you in each play. Examples that come to mind are Derek Whittaker in the foreigner for his charm and Amanda Card-​McCoy for saying the most amazing number of lines twice without passing out in Modern Love.
Also it can be expensive for a date but if you buy their sampler then you and a date can get half price on 4 shows. My wife and I have found it easier to put up with their buffet that way. :-)

Excellent service. Our glasses were never empty. The show was entertaining but long. It was a bit cheesy at times. Overall a very good.
The food was the worst part. It reminded me of cheap cafeteria food. We tried all of it, most of it we left on the plate as we moved to the next item. I didn’t know that roast beef could be so bad…
Next time we go, we will eat somewhere else.

Went using the groupon for murder mystery. The size of the room wasn’t as bad as I expected based on reviews. Although the tables were pretty small, especially if you’re sitting with strangers. The room itself was a good enough size I thought, so that you can see all that is going on.
The food was definitely the worst part… Some of it was pretty gross. I’d almost recommend eating beforehand. And the buffet is actually located off the main larger performance area. So I assume it is the same food for both shows.
I did have a good time with the performance though. The murder mystery was very entertaining to me. Even if it was a bit cheesy sometimes. I enjoyed it. The actors were good as well, and engaging with the audience.
Overall id say it would be worth the groupon price if the food was a bit fresher. Not so sure it’s worth the regular price though.

Do NOT use the Groupon for this event! You are shoved into a small room with little AC and a crappy show. It is not the same venue at all. It’s a discounted show, discounted location and discounted food. Very misleading and not worth it at all.

Cheesy dinner theatre that you grandparents would kill to attend. If you like Wednesday night church spaghetti, this is your joint.