Farragut's Biddle Farms Town Center is about to get a lot more crowded at mealtime. Country Burrito, a locally owned favorite for Mexican food, and Paris Baguette, a bakery café chain making its first appearance in the Knoxville area, are both next up for the development across Kingston Pike from Farragut High School's baseball field, near the Campbell Station Kroger.
The news was confirmed by Knox News, which reported that Biddle Farms is adding more restaurants to its already growing lineup. The center welcomed Tupelo Honey last year, and now it is set to add two very different dining options: a grab-and-go burrito shop with local roots and a French-inspired bakery café brand expanding into East Tennessee for the first time.
A Knoxville First for Paris Baguette
Paris Baguette's planned Biddle Farms café would mark the brand's first Knoxville-area location, according to Oliver Smith Realty & Development. The project is being driven by Aimee and Doug Watson and Brandon Miramontes, who are operating under Grey Mountain Investments LLC and are negotiating to bring the café to Farragut Town Center, per farragutpress.com. The trio has signed on as area developers to open up to four Paris Baguette cafés in the Knoxville market, a deal detailed by 1851 Franchise, which notes all three are University of Tennessee, Knoxville alumni returning to the city to build out the brand.
The Biddle Farms location would be the first of those four to open, with the operators telling farragutpress.com they were targeting November or early December, contingent on construction beginning in May and lease negotiations wrapping up. At the time of that report, the team said they were still finalizing lease terms with Biddle Farms. The planned menu includes artisan cakes, sandwiches, grab-and-go items, pastries, coffee, frappes, lemonades, hot chocolate and hot teas, the operators said. They also noted that just three Paris Baguette locations currently operate in Tennessee, all clustered around Nashville, making a Knoxville-area debut notable for the chain's East Tennessee footprint.
Country Burrito Brings a Local Favorite to the Mix
Joining Paris Baguette at Biddle Farms is Country Burrito, described by Knox News as a locally owned favorite for Mexican food. Its arrival adds a hometown name to a tenant roster that has otherwise leaned heavily on regional and national chains expanding into Farragut's fast-growing retail corridor.
Biddle Farms has quickly filled out since breaking ground, already counting Tupelo Honey, Parlor Doughnuts, Super Chix and Aldi among its tenants, along with Covenant Health Urgent Care and SweatHouz, according to WATE. Parlor Doughnuts and Tupelo Honey both opened their second Knox County locations there, the station reported, and Tupelo Honey's Farragut spot marked the chain's fourth Tennessee restaurant after locations in downtown Knoxville, Chattanooga and Franklin, per a separate Knox News report on that opening.
Why Farragut Keeps Winning New Restaurants
The push toward Farragut and nearby Hardin Valley isn't accidental, according to Julie Blaylock of the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce. “The city center of Knox County has shifted west so it is Farragut, Hardin Valley area where the density is, and I think that businesses see that and want to be where the people are,” Blaylock told WATE. Franchises and locally owned businesses alike are expanding into the area, the station reported, with several new restaurants and retail stores opening this year.
Biddle Farms itself was designed with that growth in mind. The commercial portion sits alongside apartments and townhomes, according to a property listing from greenbrier-rea.com. Farragut's Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved three ordinances tied to the Farragut Town Center at Biddle Farms project, per biddlefarmsfarragut.com, clearing the way for the mixed-use development that now anchors much of the area's retail expansion.
A Main Street Feel for a Growing Suburb
When the commercial buildings were first taking shape, developers expected to start handing them over to tenants by late spring or early summer of 2024, with most businesses open by early spring 2025. The development was described as roughly 60,000 square feet, including a grocery store, with at least three restaurants, including Super Chix and Parlor Doughnuts, already committed.
Paris Baguette, for its part, is looking beyond Farragut, with its Knoxville-area developers planning to expand the brand locally. For now, though, the focus stays close to home: two more names, one familiar and one brand new to the region, are angling for a spot on Biddle Farms' main street.
