I had planned for the return of Yassin’s Falafel House to its original location to be today’s feel-good story. Then we learned Market Square restaurant Myrtle’s Chicken + Beer had closed, a reminder that the downtown restaurant gods giveth and taketh away.
Glenn Kirtley owns Myrtle’s as well as Not Watson’s Kitchen + Bar next door and four Soccer Taco locations including the original on Market Square. I met up with him yesterday inside the shuttered restaurant, where the chairs were turned upside down on the tables for the last time Sunday night.
Alan wrote about Myrtle’s when it opened in March 2018 in the space formerly occupied by Trio. It was under different ownership then; Kirtley and partners took it over after the restaurant closed during the pandemic.
“It was kind of an emotional decision,” he said. With Not Watson’s next door and Soccer Taco a few doors down, his team was already deeply invested in Market Square when downtown activity evaporated overnight. They worked with the landlord to refresh the restaurant and get it back open.
“We just didn’t want to see it die,” Kirtley said. “We felt emotionally invested in Market Square at that point.”
Six years later, he said, the chicken landscape has become awfully crowded, from trendy nouveaux-Southern restaurants to drive-thrus like Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A serving up perfectly serviceable tenders. “Everybody’s in the chicken business,” he said.
Myrtle’s had reached a fork in the road: they could close it temporarily, invest significantly in the space and reopen with an entirely new concept, or step aside and let somebody else take a swing at 13 Market Square.
“I think the Square needs some new tenants, whether it was us with a new concept or somebody else coming in and doing something new,” Kirtley said. “For us, it was just a business decision. Maybe an old-man decision.”
Kirtley recently retired from his day job, but restaurant retirement is a more slippery concept. He’s still considering other opportunities, potentially outside the traditional restaurant mold. He also noted that the geography of downtown dining has expanded considerably since Soccer Taco first opened on the Square. Gay Street and the Old City have grown and Covenant Health Park is pulling activity east, he said.
“Downtown’s not just Market Square anymore,” he said. He hopes the next tenant brings something new and makes a good neighbor.
“We’ve had a good six years and no regrets,” Kirtley said. “I think it’s time for a change. Let somebody come in here that can do something cool with it and add some excitement to Market Square. I think it’ll be good for everybody.”
And thus concludes the restaurant gods’ taketh-away portion of today’s program. On to the giveth!
There’s no feel-good story like the story of Yassin’s Falafel House, named “Nicest Place in America” by Good Morning America in 2018. Syrian refugee Yassin Terou hand-built a culture of community, inclusivity and the sort of Middle Eastern cuisine that dreams are made of with his restaurant, which originally opened 12 years ago at 706 Walnut St. Since then it has expanded to locations on North Peters Road in West Knoxville and Hamilton Crossing Drive in Alcoa.
Renovations to the Walnut Street building to make room for a new Holiday Inn Express made the original restaurant difficult to access, prompting Terou to temporarily relocate the downtown location last June to Marble City Market Food Hall & Bar. Now that construction is complete (see my tour of the hotel earlier this month) Yassin’s has returned home, and all is right with the world.
Yassin’s devotees packed the place for lunch yesterday during its soft opening, eager for a first glimpse of the refreshed space. It adds digital ordering kiosks and more seating, including this community table, a fitting centerpiece for a restaurant built around bringing people together.
Here’s a look after the crowd cleared, and don’t let the soft-opening rush scare you off. Yassin’s staff is ready to welcome you whenever you stop by. The Walnut Street location is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The official grand reopening and community celebration is set for Thursday, July 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Anyone who cannot afford a meal may request a free “Knoxville Loves You Meal,” no questions asked. Teachers, active-duty military members, veterans and first responders will also eat free, and everyone who joins the celebration gets complimentary baklava.
Yassin’s will donate 100% of the proceeds from purchased meals during the event to helping people in need. “We are proud to serve Knoxville and are grateful for the love and support you’ve shown us over the years,” the restaurant shared on social media. “We couldn’t do what we do without you. Come celebrate with us, enjoy great food, and help us continue spreading kindness—one meal at a time.”
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