Lil’ Nashville in Chiswick wins top hospitality award in West London Business Awards

Lil’ Nashville owners receiving their award from Shappi Khorsandi; photograph Peter L Hughes, Photoview

The best of west London businesses celebrated as judges choose 26 from a shortlist of 70

Lil’ Nashville, the Country & Western venue in Chiswick, has won the top hospitality award in the West London Business Awards.

The awards, 26 in all, showcase the breadth of business excellence in west London, highlighting best practice in the following categories: Small Businesses, Responsible Business, Growth & Innovation, Corporate Leadership, Young Talent, and Honouring Individuals.

This year’s awards were hosted by stand-up comic Shappi Khorsandi, who lives in Ealing, and they were attended by 400 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and VIPs. They took place on Friday 27 February at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.

The winners were picked from a shortlist of 70 businesses and judged by a panel of 31 judges from a range of business backgrounds that included the General Manager of Westfield London, the Head of Sustainability and Community at Brentford FC, and the Head of Business & Engagement with the Berkeley Group.

Owners Helen and Rob with Instagram adverts for nights coming up soon at Lil’ Nashville

‘Just good ol’ fashioned service, great food, and good times’

Lil Nashville, run by Helen and Rob in Barley Mow Passage in Chiswick, celebrated its first anniversary in January as ‘an authentic honky tonk country bar and kitchen in the heart of west London’.

Inspired by ‘unforgettable childhood memories of visiting Nashville’, they wanted to bring a little slice of Southern hospitality home with them.

They serve Southern style food which diners can enjoy while listening to live music, before they get stuck into Line Dancing: ‘No fuss, just good ol’ fashioned service, great food, and good times’.

They offer Line Dancing lessons every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and promise that: ‘No matter if you’re a seasoned two-stepper or a total newbie, our mixed-ability classes are all about laughs, music, and makin’ memories together’.

(L) Twinnie will be bringing her Dirt Road Disco on 10 April; (C) Valentines Day at Lil’ Nashville; (R) the Big Nash Bash sponsored by Jack Daniels

The highlight of the week is the ‘Big Bash’ on Friday nights.

They were “honoured”, they said, to have won the award for the best hospitality business among Small and Medium sized Enterprises. They were up against Sam’s Riverside restaurant in Brentford and Mercure London Earls Court hotel in their category.

The judges were impressed that for such a new business they had become so popular in such a short space of time and had generated over £1.5 million in revenue in their first year. The business is a stand-out success in a very competitive field. The judges’ commet was:

“Lil’ Nashville has a strong immersive experience concept at its heart and active community building. It was amazing to see that in their first opening month they reached 90% weekend booking capacity and have continued to sell out most weekends.

“It’s a new, exciting business and the energy jumped off the page!”

Commenting on the winners as a whole, Andrew Dakers, Chief Executive of West London Business, said:

“The calibre of this year’s winners demonstrates why West London continues to be one of the most dynamic economic regions in the UK. From innovative SMEs and inspiring entrepreneurs to global corporates leading on sustainability and social responsibility, these organisations represent the very best of business”.

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