Hickory smoke will start curling over Sam Ridley Parkway on Monday, August 24, when City Barbeque officially opens its new Smyrna restaurant at 110 W. Sam Ridley Pkwy. The fast-casual barbecue chain is bringing its full lineup of hickory-smoked meats, from brisket to hand-rubbed St. Louis ribs, to a standalone building with a drive-thru and patio, right in the middle of one of Rutherford County's busiest commercial corridors.
The Smyrna opening was first detailed by WhatNow, which reported that City Barbeque pitmasters smoke meats over hickory wood every morning and prepare sides and desserts fresh in-house at every location. According to that report, the menu will also include Carolina pulled pork, smoked turkey and chicken, and sides like mac and cheese, baked beans, collard greens, fried okra and coleslaw. Mike Muldoon said City Barbeque is excited to become part of the Smyrna community and serve local gatherings, per the same account.
Opening Day Festivities and a Ribbon-Cutting
Opening day festivities begin at 10 a.m. on August 24 with a Rib'n & Ribbon Cutting alongside the Rutherford County Chamber, the outlet noted. The first 50 guests in line will receive gift bags stuffed with a bottle of City Barbeque's signature sauce, a City Barbeque t-shirt, and gift cards ranging from $5 to $50. Once open, the Smyrna location will run 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Ahead of the public launch, City Barbeque scheduled a complimentary pre-opening practice meal for invited local guests on Wednesday, according to an Eventbrite listing for the event. Restaurant chains routinely run these invite-only practice shifts to train new staff under live kitchen conditions before doors officially open to the public.
A Restaurant Built on Old Air Force Base Land
The new restaurant sits within Sewart's Landing, a $400 million, 44-acre master-planned mixed-use development built on the former site of Sewart Air Force Base, a military airlift hub that operated in Smyrna until its deactivation in 1970, according to WGNS Radio. Commercial real estate listings reviewed by LoopNet show the Smyrna site is a standalone, single-tenant 3,500-square-foot building constructed on Lot 7 of the development under a long-term ground lease. The same listing puts daily traffic along Sam Ridley Parkway near Highway 41 at more than 47,000 vehicles, underscoring why the corridor connecting local neighborhoods to Interstate 24 has become such a magnet for drive-thru concepts.
The new Smyrna restaurant sits near Wawa and Jonathan's Grille, part of a broader retail lineup at Sewart's Landing that also includes a 23,500-square-foot Sprouts Farmers Market anchor, Starbucks and Keke's Breakfast Café, WGNS Radio has reported. The development's master plan also weaves in the site's military past, incorporating a full-scale P-51 aircraft replica, historical murals and an outdoor timeline honoring Sewart Air Force Base's legacy, according to an Equitable Property Company update posted on YouTube.
From Competition Brisket to a Multi-State Chain
City Barbeque's roots trace back to 1999, when founder Rick Malir and a competition barbecue team won First Place Brisket and Open Champion honors at the Kansas City Barbeque Society's American Royal World Series of Barbecue, according to PR.com. That competitive pedigree helped shape the chain's signature smoked brisket recipe. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, City Barbeque now operates more than 70 company-owned locations across 10 states after partnering with private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co. in 2016 to finance its expansion, Private Equity Professional reported.
The Smyrna opening is the latest step in City Barbeque's push across Middle and East Tennessee, following recent openings in Murfreesboro on Thompson Lane and in Johnson City, per the company's own blog. City Barbeque also maintains a companywide charitable practice of donating roughly 10 percent of pre-tax profits annually and freezing daily surplus food for local food shelters and food rescue programs, according to Smart Business Magazine.
Smyrna's dining scene has seen turnover recently: Mack's Hot Chicken closed after an employee assault at its location earlier this summer. City Barbeque's arrival adds a new option to the mix as Sewart's Landing continues filling out around the former air base grounds, with completion timelines for the development's remaining phases still unclear.
