Champy’s Famous Fried Chicken’s newest location, next to Food City near Lee Highway and Shallowford Road, mixes influences from what the restaurant owner calls a Mississippi juke joint and Key West.
“We wanted a fun place to hang out,” owner Seth Champion said as workmen finished the new Champy’s, which is slated for a mid-July opening.
Champion teamed with Chattanooga artist Terry Cannon and made several out-of-town trips to find items for the new restaurant.
Old wood, corrugated tin, and vintage license plates find favor at the restaurant. Outside, a steeple taken from a horse barn marks the spot. Some of the windows came from a cotton mill in Lindale, Ga., Champion said.
Cannon said there’s nothing cookie-cutter about the appearance of the eatery, which also will be lit in red Christmas lights.