Popular local restaurant and coffee shop Joanie’s has announced that it will soon be expanding its location on the Murfreesboro Public Square.
“Our biggest issue here downtown is that we’ve just run out of room,” Joanie’s owner Jason Day confirmed in a Jan. 5 video. “I am so excited and so incredibly grateful to announce that we are going to be expanding our downtown location and taking over the space next door.”
Joanie’s, located at 13 S. Public Square, will now also occupy the neighboring space, formerly home to Red Bicycle, at 11 S. Public Square.
The new addition will be entirely gutted and, once renovations are complete, will be unlike anything else in Murfreesboro, Day said.
Once open for business, the door connecting the two spaces will remain open so patrons can flow from one side to the other, but customers can expect a whole different vibe from the other side of Joanie’s in the new space, and from anything else in town, for that matter.
“We’re going to build you something awesome, something fun and something unique,” Day said. “I promise, you won’t see anything else like it.”
It will contain some seating by the front window, with views looking upon the Square and artwork from local artists, as well as an area with more of a “living room vibe” than the coffee shop next door, containing couches, a TV and electric fireplace.
Then, a separate back room with windows bordering Vine Street will seat 45 customers in itself—the original space next door as a whole has only 51 seats. Plus, the new space at 11 S. Public Square will also include about 25 more seats in the front part of the new space, so it will more than double the total restaurant capacity.
It will hold even more customers than the existing space, in an even more spacious manner, since an additional kitchen will not be required.
“The best part of this,” Day said, “is we’re not having to build a new kitchen!”
The new space will contain a new coffee bar, and customers occupying the new space can order anything from the Joanie’s menu they like, but the existing kitchen can serve both rooms. This means a second kitchen will not take up any space—nor any of the build-out investment—in the new portion of Joanie’s.
Although certainly steeped in coffee shop vibes, what really sets Joanie’s apart is the food. Its popular menu covers everything from breakfast burritos to delicious, fresh salad combinations, French toast, beefy burgers and more, many items having a creative twist and name.
The changes downtown will also bring some expanded beer and wine offerings to the menu.
Day said that like most historic downtown renovation projects, this one is expected to take some time, so he has not set a precise opening date though he says he plans to open this spring.
Named for owner Jason Day’s mother, Joanie, the establishment serves its entire menu during all business hours seven days a week out of its two Murfreesboro locations: 13 S. Public Square and 1733 St. Andrews Dr.
Day opened the original restaurant on St. Andrews in 2019 (just before COVID) and, soon after building a strong customer base there, had an opportunity to open a second location right on the Square.
Now, he embarks on the latest expansion with a long-term vision in mind, having just signed a new 10-year lease for the neighboring spaces at 11 and 13 S. Public Square.
Stay tuned to Joanie’s Murfreesboro social media for updates on the new location.
