Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar officially opened its first restaurant in Tennessee on Tuesday with the ceremonial cutting of a giant 10-pound burger at its new Chattanooga eatery to mark what officials say are equally big plans for the restaurant chain to expand in the Southeast.
“We’re going to be building probably six to eight new locations a year here in the Southeast, where we see real opportunities for growth,” said Nick Leach, the regional manager for the Denver-based Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, a subsidiary of Good Times Restaurant Inc. “We looked at a number of thriving markets to enter to get into Tennessee and with the proximity to Atlanta, where we just opened a restaurant, we knew we really wanted to put our flag in the sand here in Chattanooga.”
Big Daddy’s Maney Quintero, left, Brandon Payne, Southeast Regional Manager Nick Leach, and Burnham Jackson look at cutting a 10-pound burger at the opening of the Gunbarrel Road establishment on Tuesday.The new 3,936-square-foot restaurant at 1924 Gunbarrel Road is the 28th burger bar Bad Daddy’s has opened since the chain started in Charlotte, N.C., in 2007. Each of the stores is company owned and features the company’s signature gourmet burgers, such as the Bacon Cheeseburger on Steroids and the Bad Ass Burger. The menu also features giant chopped salads, specialty sides, appetizers and hand-spun milkshakes.
Although the burger bar plans to offer two dozen craft beer offerings once its beer license is approved and an array of specialty drinks including its Bad Ass Margarita drink, Leach said the restaurant is designed to be family friendly, informal and inviting for fun and food.
The 160-seat restaurant, including an outdoor patio, offers a full gluten- friendly menu and regional chef specials that incorporate local flavors and ingredients, along with a full bar offering an array of craft microbrew beers from regional breweries. The average menu ticket is about $13, Leach said.