Chop House to make Alcoa entrance at Springbrook

Alcoa is a step closer to another restaurant offering, with local staple The Chop House looking to open its 11th location at Springbrook Farm. The site plans, which Alcoa Planning Commissioners approved last week, show a more upscale proposed building with glass, brick and stucco textures intended to accent the Blount County scenery.

Developers hope to break ground within the next year.

During their normal meeting Thursday, Sept. 19, and a work session the day before, Alcoa Planning Commissioners commented on the exterior design of the building and expressed excitement for the addition to the community. The proposed restaurant will stand on property across from Food City on Tesla Boulevard, with additional drives to be constructed at a later date.

The property also stands beside land recently purchased by Covenant Health.

If constructed according to the current designs, the finished restaurant will boast about 7,000 square feet of interior, with a 1,400-square-foot covered patio on the outside. The proposed parking lot wrapped around the building will have 135 parking spaces, with an entry-exit point onto Tesla Boulevard.

The design features sweeping windows to take in the mountain views, and Alcoa staff said developers are searching for a local artist to design and paint a mural on the interior.

The building is the brainchild of consultant Tim Martin of TMA Real Estate Brokerage & Consulting, who works with Knoxville-based Chop House owner Connor Concepts. He’s also responsible for the Kern’s Food Hall in Knoxville.

“One of the thought processes I had when I started being a consultant with them was that they may want to consider looking at the prototype and consider coming up with something a little more modern,” he said. His emphasis, he said, was to come up with a design that would “carry through the brand for years to come.”

The patio, he said, is designed to withstand the weather of all four seasons, meaning outdoor seating would be an option year-round. Martin said he wanted to focus on the natural beauty of the surrounding area, which he said will set the Alcoa location apart from other brand sites.

“There’s nowhere in Knoxville that you can have that panoramic view of the mountains,” he said, adding, “We have such a beautiful treasure in the Smoky Mountains.”

The Chop House’s menu features steaks along with other meats, seafood and sandwiches, offering an alternative to other Springbrook offerings like Texas Roadhouse. Most recently, Kickback Jack’s opened up the road from the future Chop House location, offering more American fare, and planning commissioners approved a site plan for a future Jim N’ Nick’s location .