Shane's Rib Shack will open its third location late next year in Cambridge Square in Ooltewah.
The new ribs restaurant will be the third Shane's Rib Shack location in Tennessee, and the only Chattanooga location when it opens. A Shane's Rib Shack formerly occupied storefront space at Northgate Mall in Hixson.
There are currently Shane's Rib Shack locations in Cleveland and Hendersonville.
The new Ooltewah location will be owned and operated by Chad and Kristin Cocks, local husband-and-wife entrepreneurs.
Chad Cocks has 30 years of experience in food service, including 15 years as a local managing partner with Outback Steakhouse.
"I've been in [food service] since I was 16," he said Wednesday.
Chad Cocks has lived in Chattanooga since he was 8, and Kristin Cocks is a native of the area, and currently a school counselor.
"We both know the area and know the community," Chad Cocks said.
He said the new Shane's Rib Shack in Ooltewah will employ up to 50 or 60 people and will feature a family atmosphere. While some Shane's Rib Shack locations served beer in the past, the new Cambridge Square location will not.
Chad Cocks said he wanted to give restaurant ownership a shot. He said the oppertunity is the fulfillment of his "dream to own your own business kind of thing."
"With them walking you through, it's not as scary as doing it on your own," he said.
Chad Cocks must go through six weeks of intensive training with Shane's in Atlanta before opening his own store.
If the Cambridge Square venture goes well, Chad Cocks said he hopes to eventually open more locations in the area.
Cambridge Square officials, meanwhile, said Wednesday they are excited to add the barbecue chain to their growing Ooltewah community.
"Shane's has a strong reputation for excellent food and service," said Jim Cheney, marketing director for Cambridge Square. "We are very proud to have them on board and look forward to bringing world-class barbecue to the greater Ooltewah market."
Shane's Rib Shack takes Cambridge Square's tenant count to 17. Cambridge Square has more than 240,000 square feet of commercial, retail and office space, and developers last year announced the addition of 100 single-family townhomes over 34 acres in the development.
Ceniza, an upscale cigar and spirits shop, is slated to open this month in the development.
Currently, other tenants include Yoga East, Heaven & Ale, Lupi's Pizza Pies, Southern Burger Co. and Wine Down Ooltewah, among others.
Shane's Rib Shack will occupy 3,000 square feet in a new 13,000-square-foot building slated to go up in the public square next year.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.