Krist Biba's favorite table at his new restaurant on the North Shore is the one that features the insignia of the U.S. military branches and a note that a tenth of sales from that spot will go to wounded veterans.
The inspiration, he said, came from a giving patron at his Hixson eatery, Biba's Italian Restaurant, whom he knows as "Vietnam Chris."
"He inspired me to give something back," said Biba, whose newest venture, Full Moon American Burger and Bar, is slated to open Monday at North Market Street and Cherokee Boulevard.
Biba, 45, said he's aiming his new restaurant loated on the ground floor of the Bridgeview building, at the family, with "very reasonably" priced burgers, sandwiches and appetizers.
"We need to make a profit, but I don't believe in killing [customers]," he said.
Still, the Bronx, N.Y., native said the bar will offer a variety of beers on tap as well as $100 drinks of Johnny Walker Blue Scotch whiskey "for somebody who wants to splurge." The eatery also has a number of wine boxes that people can rent for $500 to store their favorites, he said.
The restaurant, with 30 to 35 employees, will seat 164 patrons and open for lunch and dinner until midnight on Sunday through Tuesday and then to 2 a.m. the rest of the week. It also will feature 20 television screens and includes a lounge area with a couch and love seats for more privacy, Biba said.
He said he's spending between $800,000 and $1 million on the restaurant. He likes Chattanooga and what's happening in the North Shore.
"There is a new population moving in," Biba said, as the central city continues to see an array of new housing, mostly apartments, being planned and built. "I'm happy to be here."
The kitchen equipment is new, he said, and that pleases chef Danny Pena, who came from a nearby restaurant.
"I want the opportunity to use my skills," Pena said. He said there are plans to add pasta and seafood items to the menu.
The wall over the bar features a dramatic moonlit scene of a wolf in the woods from local artist Jasmine Horn, who said it took her four days to complete.
Biba said the Full Moon name comes from a pizza place in the Bronx that was his favorite. He said he moved to Atlanta about 20 years ago, where he has three Biba Italian eateries.
The restaurateur said he often picks locations in shopping centers where Publix supermarkets are placed, and that brought him to Chattanooga to open the Biba's eatery several years ago.
"I love them. They have great quality," said Biba about the grocer.
He also said he operates the cafeteria at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.
"This is my 10th restaurant that I've opened up," Biba said.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.