Chattanooga Downtown Restaurant Scene Growth | Local news

The restaurant scene in and around downtown Chattanooga is growing, and other sectors of the economy are helping them thrive.

Restaurants like Brother Bagels, Mean Jeen’s and the reopening of City Café in downtown Chattanooga are just a few new spots on the restaurant scene.

From a hospitality standpoint, Charles Woods, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, said there are several major investments in the process that will greatly benefit the restaurant industry.

“So, the new Embassy Suites that’s under construction down on fourth, the redevelopment of a former bank building that’s going to be a Hilton property. I think that’s part of their signature brand that’s going to add new hotel rooms there and then on the south side of a Hyatt property, which will be the first Hyatt brand in Chattanooga,” Woods said.

An increase in residential investment in the city center is also helping.

“Obviously, the same dynamic when you have people waking up every day in terms of the core of our downtown. They’re walking the streets; they’re eating at restaurants in their neighborhood,” Woods said.

Woods said Chattanooga is a top ten market for people starting to come back to the office, fueling the fire.

“We had our best leasing year ever in 2022, second only to 2019 just before the pandemic. New office leases have been signed and new people are coming in. We’re still seeing a lot of remote work, but it tends to be hybrid where someone comes in the office three days a week and work from home two days a week,” Woods said.

The tourism industry alone generates more than a billion dollars annually.

Woods said as good as that sounds, local support is still needed.

“If you live in Ooltewah, Sale Creek, Soddy Daisy, even if you’re in Dayton or Cleveland, downtown Chattanooga has really become a shorter downtown. If you think about our Broadway shows, that comes to mind,” Woods said.

“These events not only draw tourists from other places and other states, but it draws in locals who might live in the suburbs and brings them downtown,” Woods added.