Jonathan's Grille is planning a second Chattanooga-area location, this time on Shallowford Road near Hamilton Place Mall, adding to a growing footprint that already includes a restaurant in East Ridge and a long-dormant downtown building the chain hopes to bring back to life.
The Nashville-based, family-owned sports bar confirmed the Shallowford Road plans in a report from the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The chain, which has been serving Nashville-area families since 1999, already operates a location on Camp Jordan Parkway in East Ridge, according to NewsChannel 9.
That station also reported that Jonathan's Grille has filed a permit to occupy the building that once housed 212 Market Restaurant in downtown Chattanooga. That restaurant closed in 2017, and the property has sat empty ever since, per the same report. A sign posted at the site says Jonathan's Grille plans to renovate the space, though no opening date for the downtown location has been announced.
A Chain Built Around Game-Day Viewing
Jonathan's Grille describes itself as an American restaurant and sports bar with a heavy focus on televised sports, telling customers on its website that each location is outfitted with 55 TVs. The company lists Chattanooga among its Tennessee markets alongside Franklin, Bellevue, Murfreesboro, Germantown, Hendersonville, Spring Hill and Gallatin, according to a post on jonathansgrille.com.
The Shallowford Road announcement fits a broader pattern of growth for the chain across Tennessee. What Now Nashville reported that the company most recently opened a location in Brentwood at Marketplace at Maryland Farms, with that Brentwood spot opening in October 2025 according to the jonathansgrille.com post. The same outlet reported that additional locations are planned for Smyrna, Lebanon and Huntsville in the coming years.
Six More Locations In The Works
What Now Nashville separately reported that Jonathan's Grille had six new locations in the works in addition to the brand's existing nine. TalkNWestTN reported that the chain was planning rapid expansion over the following two years to Lebanon, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Smyrna and Huntsville, Alabama, though that outlet's account of the expansion timeline carried a lower confidence level than other sourcing in this story.
Elsewhere in East Tennessee, Jonathan's Grille has pursued a downtown Knoxville project in the stadium district surrounding Covenant Health Park, according to renderings described by Knox News. What Now Nashville reported separately that the chain's Knoxville expansion also includes plans for a 7,360-square-foot restaurant at 406 Willow Ave.
The company's growth has extended to West Tennessee as well. TalkNWestTN reported that a new Jonathan's Grille and Sports Bar was under construction at 35 Chloe Place in Park Place West, with that outlet describing the planned building as 7,666 square feet on 2.61 acres with 137 parking spaces and an expected opening in mid- to late March.
No details on the size, timeline or permitting status of the new Shallowford Road location near Hamilton Place have been released. For now, Chattanooga-area fans looking for a seat in front of one of the chain's TV walls will still have to head to East Ridge, while the fate of the old 212 Market building downtown remains a waiting game.
