5 chains Nashvillians want here

Nashville's growth and red-hot real estate market are attracting a flurry of new restaurants and stores to the area.

Potbelly's Sandwich Shop and Donatos Pizza are among major restaurant chains with plans to open their first locations in the market in the coming months. Meanwhile, smaller regional players, including Atlanta-based Farm Burger and Asheville, N.C.-based Tupelo Honey Cafe, are bringing their popular eats to Music City.

Still, some Nashvillians long for popular brands that haven't opened locations in the area.

We asked you via The Tennessean's Facebook page to share which restaurant and retail players you'd like to see come to Nashville. More than 250 people responded, and we tallied your votes to reveal the five most sought-after businesses.

Here's what you think is missing in Nashville:

IKEA

Nashvillians have major IKEA envy.

More than 30 percent of respondents said the Swedish furniture giant is the business they'd most want to open in Music City.

"(I) would love an IKEA, hate having to drive to Atlanta," David Jonathan Pearce posted on Facebook.

Well, David, don't give up hope.

Although the retailer chose Memphis for its first Tennessee store, IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth said the company views Nashville as a separate trade area with a strong customer base. The Memphis store is slated for a fall 2016 opening.

"We continue to evaluate opportunities (in Nashville) but have not locked into a specific location or time frame," Roth said.

The Memphis IKEA, planned along the southwestern side of Interstate 40 near the Germantown Parkway exit, is about 200 miles from Nashville. An IKEA in Atlanta is about 250 miles from Nashville, and a store under construction in St. Louis is about 315 miles away.

In-N-Out Burger

In a city full of transplants, many West Coasters agreed: Nashville could use an In-N-Out Burger.

The popular California-based chain — which serves burgers, fries and milkshakes, along with an elusive "not-so-secret menu" for customizing burgers — has a highly loyal customer base.

"… As a Cali girl, who wouldn't love to see In and Out Burger. It would work well here," Andrea Resch Gardiner wrote on Facebook.

In-N-Out has more than 300 locations across California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Texas. The company has expanded slowly to maintain quality and says it won't open locations further than a one-day drive from its distribution centers. A new distribution facility in Northern California means good news for Oregonians: The state's first In-N-Out is opening soon in Medford.

Nashvillians would have to travel 650 miles to the closest In-N-Out Burger in Rockwall, Texas, to satisfy a craving.

Whataburger

In-N-Out barely edged out Whataburger for No. 2 in Nashvillians' most sought-after businesses.

The Texas burger chain — which recently won the "Best Burger in America" title in a Fast Company survey — was founded in 1950 and has nearly 800 locations in 10 states.

"Whataburger! Best fast food burgers on the planet," Bjorn Axelsson posted on The Tennessean's Facebook page.

Sean Staggs posted: "Whataburger. Give us classiness that a city can only get from having a fast food place that gives you ketchup in a dipping cup."

Nashvillians would have to drive about 180 miles to Fultondale, Ala., to enjoy Whataburger.

Crate & Barrel

Home decor and lifestyle store Crate & Barrel opened a pop-up holiday store in 2013 at The Mall at Green Hills, but the temporary location wasn't enough for some residents.

Crate & Barrel is based in Illinois and has more than 100 stores worldwide, but none in Tennessee.

When asked whether Crate & Barrel would consider opening at The Mall at Green Hills, the mall's marketing and sponsorship director, Elizabeth Pitcher, said new retailers would be announced "when the timing is right."

The closest Crate & Barrel store to Nashville is about 250 miles away in Atlanta.

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen

Nashvillians want to enjoy Texas-based Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen's fried calamari, gumbo and crawfish fillets.

"Ooh ... Pappadeaux!," Jill Dykema Chaisson posted on Facebook.

The chain is part of the family-owned Pappas Restaurants group, which operates eight restaurant brands with 80 locations across Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas.

The closest Pappadeaux restaurant to Nashville is a 200-mile drive to Birmingham, Ala.

Honorable mentions

It didn't make the cut for the top five most sought-after businesses, but several Nashvillians said they would like an amusement park to come to town since Opryland theme park closed in 1997.

Also high on the list: more Trader Joe's and Costco stores in the area.

Four people said they would like to see a Sprouts Farmers Market come to town. Good news: The company is actively pursuing sites in the area, with plans for stores in Murfreesboro, Bellevue and Franklin.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.