A piece, a half or a whole chicken. Customers will be able to order whatever cut of rotisserie they dream about at a new restaurant coming to downtown Knoxville.
Lucky Bird will move into the former Babalu space at 412 S. Gay St., but the timeline is a little unclear. Babalu has been gone for more than a year, leaving a prime piece of real estate vacant on Knoxville's main drag.
Behind the scenes, Gemini Hospitality has been quietly working to create a dining experience that's different from anything else in the area, not just downtown. We don't know much about Lucky Bird, but we do know rotisserie chicken will be at its core and that there will be a full bar, according to Melissa Lushbaugh with Southmade Marketing.
"Our goal is to really be a place
you can go no matter what the rest of the night holds − before or after a show, on game day," Lushbaugh told Knox News in an email.
Gemini Hospitality took over the space from Kennedy Concepts after the latter group's 48-year-old founder, Chad Kennedy, died in December. Kennedy Concepts was slated to replace Babalu with a sushi menu before Gemini took the reigns. Kennedy Concepts also was planning a steakhouse across the street in the former Frothy Monkey space beforeit closed in May 2025. That storefront remains empty.
Also on Gay Street, Gemini is planning a 6,000-square foot Italian steakhouse inside Lone Tree Pass, a $30 million mixed-use development with condos, a coffee shop and brunch spot in the mix so far. The trendy hospitality group is behind several familiar favorites for Knoxville and Maryville diners: The Armory, Bella, Earl's and The Raven.
For Lucky Bird, the group is returning to a successful partnership with Knoxville-based real estate firm Dominion. The two first worked together to open Earl's, a fast-casual concept on the banks of the Tennessee River near Suttree Landing Park.
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: Rotisserie chicken restaurant bringing empty Knoxville spot back to life | Exclusive
