A Nashville-based restaurant concept that has been featured on Food Network and the Travel Channel plans to open a new eatery at Hamilton Place mall.
Party Fowl, which has four restaurants in Middle Tennessee, is readying to start work on its newest location which will go in the former Bar Louie space, said mall operator CBL Properties.
"We're excited to bring in another new-to-the-market concept to Hamilton Place," said Stephen Lebovitz, CBL's chief executive officer.
Party Fowl, which specializes in "Nashville hot chicken," is expected to open next spring, he said.
Austin Smith, who started Party Fowl with business partner Nick Jacobson in 2014, said they'd been looking for the restaurant company's next step and to open an eatery outside of Middle Tennessee.
"Chattanooga gives us a phenomenal city," he said. "I've always liked the vibe of Chattanooga and it's just so beautiful there."
The restaurant also features live music, local beers, "boozy slushies," wall-to-wall TVs, and a brunch that Food Network recently named the best in Tennessee, Smith said.
He said the restaurant recently did a nationwide release of Party Fowl Nashville Hot Potato Chips with Lay's. It also has released a co-op Dill Pickle Kolsch, a style of beer originating in Germany, with Tailgate Brewery in Nashville, Smith said. In addition, the restaurant company is gearing up for more retail options to begin hitting shelves, including a vodka and whiskey, he said.
In 2021, Party Fowl also plans to open in Nashville International Airport's new terminal, Smith said, and it's working on news regarding the Tennessee Titans.
Smith said that as a youngster, his father and then-wife had a Lookout Mountain home, and they later purchased a residence in Trenton, Georgia.
"My dad has since passed, but I have family all over that area including my brothers and sister," he said. "I also have some dear friends who have moved that way. My wife and I look forward to spending a great deal of time there with our three children, as well as getting more time with our family."
Smith said the Hamilton Place opportunity came out of a relationship with CBL, which owns Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin, Tennessee, where Party Fowl has a restaurant.
"We have a phenomenal relationship and saw this as an opportunity to grow our business together," he said. "The space is laid out perfectly for Party Fowl and the plans CBL has for the mall, and the surrounding areas, blew us away. We are excited for the future with CBL."
Dick's Sporting Goods, Dave & Buster's and Cheesecake Factory opened in space vacated by Sears, and an Aloft Hotel is under construction nearby.
The restaurant plans to employ more than 40 people, Smith said.
"We have a couple of folks who will be moving to Chattanooga to operate this space, but the rest will be folks from the area," he said.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.