Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, a known car nut, checks out the vehicle in the bar where the complimentary salsa and chips are served. Ha!
If the VIP preview party is any indication, the new Tex Mex restaurant in west Knoxville, Chuy’s, is going to be the go-to place for a good time! Chuy’s, at 9235 Kingston Pike, is in the brightly colored building at the intersection of Kingston Pike and Cedar Bluff Road — right in front of the new Kroger.
Famous for its fresh-made eats and drinks, it’s also well-known for its quirkiness: hubcaps on the ceiling of one room, a shrine to Elvis, a “dog wall” and chips and salsa served out of a car trunk!
We at Moxley Carmichael have been working with Chuy’s to prepare for the opening and, we can assure you, the folks are as much fun as the restaurant itself! Because Chuy’s makes so much of its food from scratch (basically, ALL of it!), it requires a larger than usual staff. The Knoxville Chuy’s, which seats 298, has 170 employees.
This is the 37th restaurant in the Austin-based chain and, judging from the other locations, it surely will develop a cult following of its own. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. See you there! Here’s a peek at last night’s preview.
The main dining room just has "party" written all over it, don't you think?
Ha! (Let's hope not!)
You can watch through a glass and see the tortillas being made fresh all day long.
A good sign
Every table was full -- and then some! -- all through the evening last night.
Knoxville Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, left, with his wife, Joy, and Justin Cazana
From left, Alan Carmichael, state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, her daughter, Courtney Kohlhepp, husband Morton Massey, and Tiffany Gleason
City Council member Brenda Palmer, second from right, with, from left, John Stancil, Don Palmer and Cynthia Marie Stancil
From left, Jim and Margot Kline, City Councilman Duane and Marsha Grieve, Coral Getino and Bobby Sumpter, and Knox County Commissioner Tony Norman
From left, John Mountford, Chuy's area supervisor; Michael Hatcher, Chuy's director of Real Estate and Development; and Farragut Mayor Ralph McGill
Every Chuy's has an Elvis shrine. Why? When the original owners opened the first Chuy's in Austin, they had only $20 to decorate. Their solution? A velvet Elvis painting. It became a tradition in the decor.
Every Chuy's also has one room with a ceiling covered by hubcaps! (Not sure about the origin of that one!)
Mayor Tim Burchett enjoyed all the car art. He knew the make and model of every car in every piece of artwork. He knew, for instance, that this particular Corvette never was actually produced. Only a prototype was made. Wow.
The patio is going to be pleasant and relaxing -- especially when fall weather arrives.
The birds decorating the patio are made from recycled tires!
Here is Ray Fisher, right, of Fisher Tire, with, from left, Jackie Fisher, Dawn and Richard Ford.
This is a fun group! From left, Alaine McBee, Amy Styles, Lorna Norwood and Jennifer Burke
Mary Ellen Brewington and Craig Shelton
From left, Brittany and Linda Reid with Phyllis and Jim Nichols
From left, Rachel Ford, Tom Cervone, Susan Creswell and Terry Ford
Here's a view of the bar -- before it filled up!
Every Chuy's bar has hundreds of these pretty fish -- hand-carved by the same Mexican family for the last 30 years.
Called the Chihuahua Bar, it features dozens of pieces of artwork of the little critters.
If you bring in a framed photo of your dog, it will be permanently affixed to the wall in the bar -- and you will get a free appetizer!
Happy Hour sounds good!
Look who we found in the bar! From left, Robin Hawn Rhea, Natalie Lester and Laura Potts, all from PetSafe.
A closer look at that salsa and queso bar in the car trunk. Yum!
Enjoying the bar scene, from left, Bob and Angie Wilson, Katie Walsh, Grace Wilson, Jake Adams, Claudia and Joe Walsh
Jennifer Lawson
Bill Lyons, left, and Dan Murphy
From left, Frank Biller, Chuy's vice president of operations, Moxley Carmichael's Lauren Christ, and Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee
Christy and Jeff Lee. "We're Texicans," Jeff said.
John Craig with Suzan Murphy, left, and Gay Lyons
John Schoonmaker with his wife, Heather, left, and daughter, Lauren
From left, Lauren Christ, Chuy's Marketing Manager Hilary Delling, Sara Kiselauskas and John Miller
Meanwhile, back in the dining room, Patricia Robledo was waiting to meet her neighbor.
Here's a cute idea. To distract children or serve as a conversation starter for adults, the Chuy's folks have hidden a lot of superheroes throughout the restaurant. The challenge is to spot them. Here's a Spiderman in the main dining room! Ha!
Proceeds from the sale of drinks last night benefited Shangri-La Therapeutic Riding Academy. Executive Director Lynn Petr shows off the magnetic signs Chuy's bought STAR for their truck.
From left, Blair, Andrew and Katie Kline
From left, Brad Cullen, Dan Headrick and Mickey Mallonee of Plum Gallery. Dan ordered the Elvis Combo, which was huge! "No wonder Elvis is dead!" he said when he saw it.
David Matthews and Barry Alden
Jerry and Regina Dean with their daughter, Amanda, center
Andrea White and Kyle Spence
Sharon and Richard Donnell
Scott Bird and Michael Higdon
This is what you are looking for.
Here's how you'll know you're there!
It sure was a great night! It feels like every night is going to be a party at Chuy’s. Food is delicious, Texas Martini is my new favorite, and the service was incredible in spite of the crowds. Glad this fun restaurant has come to Knoxville — and so happpy they are supporting STAR!
Mox,
I may be forced to travel to Farragut. That’s how good you are.
Worth every peso.
What fun! Loved the incredibly thin chips & creamy jalapeno sauce, fish tacos, & Mexican Martini. Looking forward to trying more things. Glad to welcome Chuy’s to Knoxville.
Thanks, folks! Betty: It’s not all the way to Farragut – just Cedar Bluff! I’ll go with you one night, if you like!
As you know, it’s hard to get me out of downtown, but sometimes it’s good to have an excuse for a field trip–Chuy’s is definitely a good excuse.
Looks like a great place. Bruce and I will love it.
Fantastic food! And we’re pretty “particular” about our Mexican food! We truly enjoyed the evening and will be Chuy’s regulars!
We had a great time, Mox. Thanks for inviting us!
Katie – and everybody: Thanks for supporting Chuy’s. And Moxley Carmichael. We were honored to work with Chuy’s on their opening. I loved how they made use of social media and selected so many folks who had “liked” them on Facebook to invite to the preview and Redfish Rally. Interesting to watch the social media element develop.
Wow Next time we have Girls Nite Out I know where we are going. Fay
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