A new restaurant, Real Good Smokehouse, will be opening at 221 Market St. by Tim Hennen and Shannon Johnson. Mr. Johnson described it as a traditional but updated smokehouse serving ribs, brisket, pulled pork and chicken. The restaurant received a beer license from the city beer board that will allow them to sell both consumer and carry-out beer.
Ruby Falls has just undergone a million-dollar renovation to the lobby and the addition of a new restaurant, Ruby Falls Castle Café.
It will have a full menu of salads and sandwiches for the 500,000 visitors per year, and to make it complete, will also be offering beer, said President and CEO Hugh Morrow. The beer served will be several local beers manufactured in Chattanooga, and will be limited to two per customer. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and the customers can come to the restaurant without purchasing a ticket to tour the cave.
The board also approved applications of beer permits for new businesses. TailGate Brewery Chattanooga, is taking over The Terminal Restaurants. This is the fifth location with the other four in Nashville. Brewing beer will be done on site, and this location will specialize in Belgium beers. Owner Wesley Allyn Keegan told the board that his company purchased the real estate so plans are to be here for the long term. He said the business will sell beer any way that it can be done, on site, six packs to go and through a distributor.
Weigel’s, a new gas and convenience store, has opened at 5875 Highway 153. The business is expanding from around the Knoxville area. The company requires all employees to be ABC certified in alcohol sales and they do their own compliance checks at each location once a quarter. They also verify ages with a point of sales system on the cash register. The representative speaking to the board said the stores are known for milk and bakery products. This location is the first of many that are planned for around Chattanooga.