Hattie B's Hot Chicken is opening its first Chattanooga restaurant on November 18, inside the repurposed Signal Knitting Mills on the city's Northshore — a milestone that completes the family-owned chain's presence across every major Tennessee metro market. The opening follows an August debut in Knoxville and comes just weeks after the brand launched its second Chicago unit in Wicker Park on October 28.
The twin expansions bring Hattie B's to 21 locations across six states: Tennessee, Illinois, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada, and Texas. A third Chicago location, in the River North neighborhood, is slated for spring 2027, extending a Midwest push that began in February with the brand's Gallagher Way debut near Wrigley Field.
Michelin Recognition Fuels Growth
The expansion arrives on the heels of back-to-back recognition in the Michelin Guide American South. The brand's original Midtown Nashville location retained its Michelin Recommended status at last month's 2026 ceremony, its second consecutive year earning the honor. For a fast-casual concept competing in a category more often associated with speed than culinary distinction, the repeated Michelin nod carries meaningful weight with both guests and prospective franchise markets.
"When we started Hattie B's almost 15 years ago, one of the things that was most important to my dad and me was consistently serving our guests delicious food and genuine hospitality at a great value, so being recognized by Michelin again this year is a true honor," said co-founder Nick Bishop Jr.
Tennessee Roots, National Ambition
Hattie B's menu is rooted in the Tennessee meat-and-three tradition — a format that pairs well with the fast-casual model by offering familiar comfort items alongside a customizable heat spectrum. Signature plates include the Chicken Sandwich, Jumbo Tenders, and the Half Bird Plate, all adjustable from no-heat "Southern" to the brand's most intense spice levels. Sides such as bacon-cheddar grits, collard greens, and pimento mac & cheese anchor the Southern identity, while desserts like banana pudding and peach cobbler close out the experience.
The Chattanooga venue's location inside Signal Knitting Mills — a historic adaptive reuse project — fits a broader restaurant hospitality trend of operators choosing character-rich spaces to differentiate from generic strip-mall buildouts. For operators tracking fast-casual growth strategies, Hattie B's approach of anchoring new markets with high-visibility or heritage locations offers a template worth watching.
The brand's geographic sequencing also reflects a deliberate market-by-market approach. Rather than franchising broadly, Hattie B's has grown through company-operated units, allowing tighter control over what Bishop describes as a commitment to quality and community at every location — a model that fast-casual operators increasingly cite as a hedge against the execution inconsistencies that can erode brand equity at scale.
On the charitable front, Hattie B's current partner is The Busyhead Project, which receives $1 from every order of the brand's "Shut the Cluck Up!" menu item sold.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
