Hattie B's Hot Chicken is making sure its first Knoxville location features the right amount of orange for Vols fans before the restaurant opens this week on the Strip.
Opening day for the Nashville-based chain at 2001 Cumberland Ave. is Aug. 12, and Knox News got a behind-the-scenes look at what customers can expect. (Check out the video above!)
One priority, co-founder Nick Bishop Sr. told Knox News, was designing the 3,300-square-foot restaurant with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in mind. Executive Chef Brian Morris, who attended UT in 1998, acknowledged the Hattie B's signature red looked a bit too much like the color of a Vols rival. The space needed more orange, he said.
Knoxville is the 20th location of Hattie B's, and the new
restaurant is full of Tennessee pride. UT pennants have been placed on tables, which are painted orange, while an "H-O-T" sign resembles the "V-O-L-S" letters on top of Neyland Stadium.
The restaurant's menu offers everything from bone-in chicken to tenders to sandwiches, with spice levels ranging from mild to "shut the cluck up."
Since Bishop and his son started Hattie B's in 2012, the brand has grown into a flock of restaurants in Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. In November, Hattie B's was named a "Recommended" restaurant in the Michelin Guide's debut American South list.
"We're just honored to be here," Bishop told Knox News. "We looked in Knoxville years ago, and it seemed like it's been under construction for a long time, but we found the right spot here on Cumberland."
Hattie B's will be open 10:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and 10:45 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Get a peek inside Knoxville's new Hattie B's, full of Tennessee pride
