BoxLunch, Old Chicago Pizza coming to Hamilton Place

Hamilton Place mall is seen from the offices of the EMJ Corp. on Wednesday, Apr. 13, 2016, in Chattanooga.
Hamilton Place mall is seen from the offices of the EMJ Corp. on Wednesday, Apr. 13, 2016, in Chattanooga.

Hamilton Place is adding a new stand-alone restaurant outside Chattanooga's flagship mall, as well as a fresh-to-the-market retailer inside the shopping center.

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, a division of Chattanooga-based CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, plans to start work in May on a restaurant near the newly opened Regal Cinemas Hamilton Place 8.

Also, BoxLunch, a destination for pop culture-inspired gifts, accessories and apparel for men and women, will go inside the mall on the upper level near JCPenney, according to the shopping center.

Old Chicago Pizza, which is slated to open this fall, will offer more variety for people who shop at Hamilton Place, said Kim Lyons, the mall's marketing director.

The size and the employee headcount of the new restaurant, which will go near the Big River Grille in the area, wasn't immediately known. The eatery will be the second Old Chicago Pizza in Chattanooga. Its first Chattanooga eatery is located at Northgate Mall in Hixson.

"It's another great choice for shoppers in the Hamilton Place area," Lyons said.

David Meadows, general manager of Hamilton Place, said BoxLunch will bring something fresh and new to the merchandise mix at the East Brainerd mall.

BoxLunch was started in 2015 by parent company Hot Topic, a California-based specialty retailer of music- and pop culture-influenced and licensed apparel. It targets 18- to 24-year-old men and women.

With every $10 spent at BoxLunch, it will help provide a meal secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks, according to the mall.

Meadows said that Old Chicago Pizza will complement the other Hamilton Place restaurants.

Old Chicago operates in 24 states and has more than 100 restaurants nationwide. Since opening its first location in Boulder, Colo., in July 1976, the restaurant group says its has been an advocate for local and craft beer, offering more than 10,000 unique beers each year along with a standard 36 craft beers on tap.

CraftWorks Restaurants and Breweries has about 200 owned and franchised locations across the United States. Its primary concepts include Old Chicago, Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch. CraftWorks also operates regional brands, including ChopHouse and Big River Grille.

Hamilton Place recently announced it's filling long vacant restaurant space and readying a home for the world's second biggest fashion retailer. Rodizio Grill, which calls itself an authentic Brazilian steakhouse, will open this summer in the space held by Piccadilly cafeteria for many years before it closed in late 2014.

This fall, clothing retailer H&M will go in 23,000 square feet on the second level between JCPenney and Sears.

Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.

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