If you watched the South Banks development take shape on the South Waterfront, you have probably wondered what would happen to that standalone retail space along the river. With the gorgeous asphalt tower mural by Curtis Glover on one side and Suttree Landing Park on the other, we all hoped for something special to occupy that space. As residents began moving in during 2023, it was essentially an empty gray box on paper, built to meet the retail requirement, just waiting for the right idea to take hold. Now it has a name, a point of view, and as of today, is open for business!
Welcome Earl’s to the neighborhood!
Peter Hall, a Knoxville native with Dominion Development, told me he and his business partner, Mark Taylor, always pictured a restaurant or coffee shop for the space but originally assumed it would be leased to an outside operator. They even entertained a few possibilities along the way. Then they met Jimmy Loup with Gemini Hospitality, a restaurant operator who had recently relocated to Knoxville, and the plan pivoted from landlord to owner.
That introduction led to a partnership with Gemini, the restaurant group led by Jimmy and his partner Jim Saunders. They own and operate popular restaurants Raven Steakhouse and Bella in Maryville. Together with the team from Dominion, they developed Earl’s, a new spot designed to serve residents living in the South Banks development, neighbors throughout South Knoxville, and anyone who likes the idea of a meal and a drink with a river view.
Dominion’s focus is primarily residential. Peter described three lanes: conventional market-rate housing, affordable housing, and senior living. He said the company owns about 6,000 units around the Southeast with a strong presence in Knoxville.
“I am from Knoxville,” Peter said. “Got a wife and two kids and have been in real estate, construction, and development kind of my whole career.”
Jimmy Loup’s path is different, but complementary. He said he has “been in the restaurant business my whole life,” started a company in Texas in 2012, grew it to 25 locations across the Southeast, and then sold it.
When it was time to choose a new home base, Knoxville won. “We came out to Knoxville and fell in love with it immediately,” he said.
With a company focused on residential housing, the question had to be asked: why now a restaurant? The origin story here is part zoning requirement, part real estate opportunity, and part long-simmering restaurant curiosity.
Peter said South Waterfront zoning and code required retail space as part of the development. Dominion built the standalone building to satisfy that requirement, and always pictured it as a future restaurant or coffee shop.
Peter and Mark also had personal interest. “We’ve always been interested in restaurants, love restaurants,” Peter said. The difference is they did not want to do it alone. Jimmy’s decades-long experience changed that.
“We thought, well, this might be a fun match,” Peter said, describing the idea that Dominion could own the space and Gemini could help bring a restaurant to life.
The namesake, Earl’s, is personal. “Earl’s is named after Mark’s dad,” Peter said. There’s even a cowboy style rendering of Earl on the wall.
Earl’s is built around what the group believes the neighborhood will actually use, all day long. Peter called out the mix of day-parts, from breakfast through dinner, plus to-go and delivery.
To build out a concept, Jimmy explained, “We started with a target customer and a secondary target customer. We built everything — from the design, the food, the pricing, the bar, all of it — based on that core customer.”
“They wanted a high caliber place,” Jimmy said, “but that word ‘community’ — ‘the community’ — kept coming up.” The menu, ambiance and even the hours they are open were created with the idea in mind that this will be a place where anyone can feel comfortable coming in to get a meal, sit and study, or have a work meeting. The patio in particular has a cozy vibe that encourages you to get comfy and stay awhile.
The service model is meant to keep the experience moving. “It’s order at the counter and sit down,” Jimmy said, describing it as “fast casual plus.” The goal is to remove the slow points — waiting to order and waiting to pay — while still keeping the parts that people want, like food runners, table touch service, and a full bar. There are QR codes on the tables so you can order more once you are seated.
This is not a white-tablecloth swing. The team kept coming back to “elevated” versions of bar-food favorites, especially burgers, pizza and chicken sandwiches: “chef-driven, but totally approachable.” Jimmy brought over Chef James Mott from a Maryville location to take over the menu and execute the vision — see the full food menu here. General Manager Claudio Silva will keep the place running.
“If you’re gonna eat a fried chicken sandwich, it better be great,” Peter said.
When I asked what they were most excited about, the answers were immediate.
“The burgers are really good,” Peter said. Jimmy’s favorite was even more specific.
“Undoubtedly, the margarita,” he said, then followed it with the sleeper hit: “the chicken tenders.” He described the tenders as marinated in a buttermilk and pickle brine, and said the whole idea is to do the familiar things exceptionally well.
Beyond the core food, expect a full bar menu with a classic-leaning cocktail lineup. In addition to margaritas, Jimmy called out the old fashioned, espresso martinis, mojitos, and a spicy pineapple margarita that he described as “still really approachable.”
And yes, there are shakes, and yes, you can spike them.
Earl’s is also leaning into Knoxville-area sourcing where it makes sense, including draft beer from Xül and Yee-Haw, coffee from Vienna Coffee Roasters, and buns from Quality Bakers
The exterior and apartment-side design were handled by Sanders Pace Architecture, with the interior design and furnishings led by Bridgette Cassell of Haute Home. “She did a great job,” Peter said, and it shows. The river just outside is not simply a backdrop; it is part of the design language. When I noted how the greens and blues felt pulled directly from the water, Peter confirmed that was intentional. Artist Jessica Ramsey painted the walls with flowing lines and movement that echo the river’s bends and curves, tying the space clearly and thoughtfully to its setting.
One practical advantage of putting a restaurant inside your own development is built-in density. Peter said Dominion has “about 550 units just right here,” translating to approximately “more than 1,000 people” in the immediate pocket. That is a ready-made base for delivery and to-go. The plan is to focus on delivery close to home first, sparing nearby residents the typical app fees by handling local delivery in-house. Beyond that range, they’ll use third-party services like Uber Eats.
Marketing Manager Grete Yarbrough said customers can expect Limited Time Offers (LTOs) with specials that will come and go quickly, once they get past the opening and first few weeks of settling into a routine with staff and customers. She recommended signing up on their website to receive customer appreciation specials. They will also have happy hour specials.
Grand opening: TODAY, Jan. 21 at 7 a.m.
Hours: 7 days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (This could evolve as they see how the neighborhood uses the space.)
Location: 610 Waterfront Drive / Knoxville, TN 37920
Service style: Order at the counter, sit down, full-service support around you
Vibe: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails, shakes, patio hangs, to-go, and local delivery
Pets: Pets are welcome on the patio.
At its core, Earl’s feels like an experiment done with intention. It is a restaurant built by people who know the neighborhood because they helped create it, shaped by operators who understand how people actually use a space, not just how it looks on opening day. Whether it becomes a regular breakfast stop, a go-to patio for river views and cocktails, or simply a convenient place for South Knox residents to grab a well-made meal close to home, Earl’s is designed to fit naturally into daily life along the waterfront. And in a city where true riverfront dining options remain surprisingly limited, that alone makes this opening one worth paying attention to.
Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Contact: (865)-252-4886 | [email protected]
