As hotel construction crews from EMJ Corp. work to complete the latest addition to Chattanooga’s downtown skyline by next month, a new Brazilian-style restaurant on the first floor of the seven-story complex is preparing to open in another couple of weeks.
“We begin training workers next week and we’re looking forward to our opening on Nov. 20,” said Heather White, kitchen manager for the new Brazilian steakhouse known as Rodizio Grill.
The new restaurant will be located on the ground floor of the $19 million Holiday Inn & Suites, currently being erected at Chestnut and Fourth streets. The 139-room, 145,000-square-foot hotel is scheduled to open before the end of the year.
Hotel hiring fair
Applicants may interview for 40 more full- and part-time jobs at the Holiday Inn & Suites, 434 Chestnut Street, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16
The nearly complete Holiday Inn Suites, a $19 million venture, is the latest downtown hotel to spring up just 4-blocks from the 21st Century Riverfront. The hotel is scheduled to have 140 rooms. It is located at 434 Chestnut Street.“The goal of Dynamic Group and our Holiday Inn & Suites is to raise the bar for Chattanooga’s downtown and hospitality markets,” said Roshan Amin, president of the Dynamic Group LLC that owns and developed the new hotel and restaurant.
Amin said the new Rodizio Grill in Chattanooga – the 19th for the chain – will bring a new flair to Chattanooga’s restaurant scene.
The steakhouse will feature two huge grills in the dining room where cooks prepare 16 different rotisserie-grilled meats, which are served continuously by meat servers to patrons who also enjoy a cold salad bar with more than 30 items and a hot vegetable bar.
“Our meat servers continue to serve you as long as you have your wooden peg at your table turned to green and they will keep serving you food until you turn the peg over to red,” White said. “It provides an awesome experience and a delicious meal unlike anything now in the market. We think Chattanooga is so ready for this.”
The unlimited entree offering, not counting drinks, will be priced at $19.99 for lunch and $34.99 for dinner, White said.
The steakhouse includes 240 seats in the dining room, plus a 100-seat banquet room and a 30-seat patio.
The Chattanooga Rodizio Grill franchise is the product of a partnership between Amin and Carlos Kal, owner and manager of Totto Sushi Bar and Grill, a North Shore restaurant. John Riede will be general manager for Rodizio.
Rodizio will serve local patrons from a Broad Street entrance, but the restaurant also will serve the hotel’s patrons with breakfasts and room service.
The restaurant will open a few weeks ahead of the new Holiday Inn & Suites hotel. The new downtown hotel includes on-site parking, an indoor pool, sun decks and a selection of larger, suite-style units.
“We have already booked our first wedding event, and look forward to many more opportunities to show Chattanooga what makes the Holiday Inn & Suites Downtown so great,” Amin said.
Wesley Harper, the opening coordinator for the hotel, said a job fair is planned Nov. 16 to hire additional workers for the new hotel, including housekeepers, front desk workers and hotel sales persons.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.