Our Long Road Story

Our roads crossed in June 1996 at a restaurant/bar in Niceville, Florida. It was late, around midnight, and we had both just gotten off work from our second shift jobs. I was a Certified Nursing Assistant at a nursing home and Bruce was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base where he did maintenance on fighter jets. We enjoyed a few beers while winding down from the day, then after the restaurant closed for the night we ended up talking in the parking lot until around 4 a.m. The next day (after very little sleep!), Bruce called and asked me out on our first real date and the rest, as they say, is history.

We married in 1999, and throughout the next 11 years Bruce’s Air Force career took us down many roads—Okinawa, Japan (where I took a break from my medical career to manage a deli on base), Newport News, Virginia; Alamogordo, New Mexico; then back to the Florida Panhandle near Ft. Walton Beach. After leaving Okinawa, I became a Certified Medical Assistant and worked mostly in orthopedic offices.

In 2008/2009, we started looking for a place to settle down because Bruce’s retirement from the Air Force was on the horizon. We centered on Tennessee, and when friends introduced us to Crossville we instantly loved the area! We bought a home on a few acres in the Mayland community and have enjoyed living here since Bruce retired in 2010.

Enter late 2021. When the property that previously housed the historic Clemmons Market on 70N became available, we knew it was meant for us to open a restaurant! We’re excited to run the Long Road Cafe and serve the community we have come to love. Come by and enjoy a meal with us…and be sure to ask Bruce about salads!

Bruce and Mary Beth Long, owners

13215 Hwy 70N
Crossville, TN 38571

931-277-5550