Bubba’s 33, owned by Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor, has unveiled plans for a new 7,105-square-foot restaurant to be constructed on North Thompson Lane in the parking lot of the former YMCA building. This location is included in the brand’s 33 projected new restaurants to open across 17 states this year, with 12 already open across Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas and Virginia.
Bubba’s 33 will offer a family-friendly sports bar atmosphere, with wall-to-wall TVs featuring various sports. A variety of food options will be offered, including burgers, fried pickles, sandwiches, pasta, steaks, onion rings and loaded fries.
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Murfreesboro-based SmackDab Brewing has plans to open a brewery that will occupy part of an existing building at the corner of North Front Street and West Lytle Street. The brewery expects to occupy about 3,600 square feet of space in the building, providing a new option for local beer enthusiasts.
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La Tavola, located at 114 Front St. in Smyrna, has announced that it will be closing. However, Beane Brothers BBQ and Catering has already announced plans to open at the downtown Smyrna location. This restaurant is related to Rooster Beane’s previous Rooster’s Lone Star BBQ restaurant, which operated on Main Street in Murfreesboro for a brief time (in the space now home to The Alley); Rooster’s closed its doors in 2014.
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Hi Five Hotdogs & Stuff has opened its pop-up restaurant within CoreLife Eatery, located on Medical Center Parkway in the same shopping center as Blaze Pizza and Mission BBQ.
Family-owned Hi Five Hotdogs offers a variety of unique hotdog options, as well as grilled cheese sandwiches, melts, banana pudding and moon pies, bringing some unexpected variety to CoreLife, known for its salads and healthy fare. Some of Hi Five’s more interesting hot dog toppings include macaroni and cheese, strawberry bourbon bacon jam and cream cheese.
For further information, visit hifivehotdogs.com.
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A new Korean place, King 7 Korean BBQ Chicken, will soon open near the corner of Northfield Boulevard and Lascassas Pike, in the same shopping center as Golden Bowls.
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Camino Real has opened its new location at 2450 Old Fort Pkwy. in the former O’Charley’s building. This location is Camino’s fifth in Murfreesboro; this comes after the closing of Camino Real’s nearby Cason Lane restaurant.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Visit caminorealtn.com for more info.
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Former Tennessee Titan Zach Piller, along with his wife, Victoria, have opened Neighbors at 2512 Roby Corlew Ln., with hours Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Fan favorite meal options include wings, chicken and waffles, Nashville hot chicken sliders, cheesecake and triple chocolate cake. The restaurant offers happy hour Monday through Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. with half price drafts, bottles, house wine and well drinks.
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615 District, located at 1950 S. Church St. in the former Shoney’s space, recently welcomed Bar Rescue to its restaurant with attempts to rebrand and save the restaurant from failure. Despite Bar Rescue’s mission, two previous restaurants in Murfreesboro closed their doors after rebrand efforts with the program (Brew U and MT Bottle).
615 District has rebranded as Southern Still.
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U&I, a new Asian fusion restaurant, will open at 2069 Lascassas Pk. in the former Casa Blanca Mexican building. Information regarding opening date and hours has not been announced, although the restaurant has mentioned on its Facebook page that it is hiring servers, waitstaff and kitchen employees.
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School of Rock will hold a grand opening celebration on Saturday, July 26, from 12–4 p.m. School of Rock has opened its Murfreesboro location at 1282 NW Broad St., taking over the former credit union building beside Champy’s Chicken. School of Rock currently operates more than 350 schools worldwide and hosts music lessons for all ages.
The School of Rock Method includes individual lessons, group rehearsals and live performances, all with the goal of getting students onstage performing at a real rock show at a real music venue. Lessons offered include guitar, drums, bass, keyboard, singing and songwriting.
For more information, visit schoolofrock.com.
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White Monkey Market has opened at 224 W. Main St., directly across from The Alley on Main. The market hosts different vendor booths offering a unique assortment of antiques, dishes, home decor pieces, vintage furniture and locally sourced items including soaps, teas, jewelry and gifts.
Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit facebook.com/whitemonkeyes for more details.
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Officials with the City of Murfreesboro say they expect the new Transit Center at the corner of Bridge Avenue and New Salem Highway to open by the end of August.
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Pin High Golf Experience, a mobile golf simulator rental business, has arrived in Murfreesboro. The Experience, owned and operated by a local husband and wife team Patrick and Kelsey Sutton, is dedicated to providing a unique, high-end entertainment option to local events.
“Whether you’re a seasoned pro or picking up a club for the first time, our indoor and outdoor simulators are perfect for all ages and skill levels,” according to the Suttons. “From weddings and corporate events to birthday parties and tailgates, we turn any gathering into a unique and unforgettable golf experience.”
Currently, an outdoor daytime setup is offered for large open spaces, as well as an indoor/evening setup with a covered simulator for weather-sensitive venues. Visit pinhighgolfexperience.com for more information and booking.
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Greenhouse Ministries has announced that it will open its own Ivy on Spring coffeeshop after recently celebrating 25 years of community service in the area. The nonprofit also recently opened The Spring House, a grocery store-style food bank where guests are paired with personal shoppers who assist with selecting food, clothing and essentials, also offering words of prayer and encouragement.
Greenhouse Ministries’ Garden Patch Thrift Shop is located at 309 S. Spring St.
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The Practice Room, Murfreesboro’s only Ashtanga Yoga Shala, has opened at 10B N. Public Square, Room 206. It is owned and operated by Shana Cummings, a dedicated Ashtanga student since 2016.
The Practice Room is a partner studio with the Trini Foundation, which offers monthly tuition assistance to individuals in recovery from addiction and substance use disorders. Visit shanaraeyoga.com for more information.
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Shrinkty has opened a Murfreesboro mental health clinic, and although it features a physical office location at 2462 Old Fort Pkwy., it is dedicated to providing online therapy one-on-ones with licensed professionals.
When Shrinkty was founded in 2022, the idea was to provide telehealth and telemedicine—accessible from the comfort of one’s own home.
“Our mission is to provide compassionate, comprehensive, evidence-based mental health and addiction treatment with a multi-disciplinary team of specialists to empower individuals suffering from mental health disorders to take control of their lives and achieve a fuller life by actively treating and managing mental health and substance use disorders,” according to shrinkty.com.
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AutoZone has proposed plans to open a new 24,301-square-foot auto parts store and warehouse within the Jackson Heights Plaza. The site plan features an elevated sidewalk area where battery testing, battery changes, wiper blade replacements and other routine maintenance services will be done.
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A second Super 9 gas station is coming to Murfreesboro, to be located on the corner of West Northfield Boulevard and Sulphur Springs Road. The current location, at 3035 New Salem Hwy., features a combined Super 9 Wine & Spirits at the location. Peery Construction LLC, a Murfreesboro-based general contracting company, is overseeing the development.
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Rutherford County’s new Solid Waste Transfer Station celebrated its grand opening on National Garbage Man Day. The new solid waste transfer station, located at 6000 Landfill Rd., serves as a central location where garbage is delivered, consolidated and loaded into high-capacity trucks for transport to regional landfills. The design, located on 12,500 square feet of space, improves the efficiency of solid waste operations and helps reduce the number of trucks traveling long distances.
As Rutherford County continues to experience rapid growth, the facility is expected to ease pressure on existing waste infrastructure while providing a more sustainable solution for handling solid waste. The tipping floor is a specially engineered surface where garbage trucks unload their contents. The waste is then compacted and transferred into long-haul trucks with larger capacity, streamlining operations and lowering transportation costs.
All waste that is collected at local convenience centers is currently taken to Middle Point Landfill under a host agreement free of charge. When Middle Point closes, the waste will need to be transported to another landfill. Rutherford County holds a 15-year contract with Cedar Ridge, a Waste Management facility in Lewisburg.
The facility can accept 2,000 tons of trash per day, which is roughly 600,000 tons of trash per year—essentially, all trash generated in Rutherford County.
“We are very proud of this building in District 2,” said Rutherford County Commissioner Steve Pearcy. “Today is the turning point we have made after 30 years to right a wrong. This will keep us hopefully from continually burying the trash of Rutherford County residents in the ground, next to our water source and in the town of Walter Hill.”
The facility will also support operational costs through tipping fees, providing a self-sustaining revenue stream.
Non-commercial and residential customers are welcome to utilize the station from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hard hats and high-visibility clothing are required for all inside the transfer station.
Non-commercial and commercial customers who have not set up accounts with Rutherford County will be charged the Cash Customer Gate Rate—currently $95/ton. Commercial waste handlers who intend to use the station frequently are encouraged to apply for an account with Rutherford County. Account holders receive benefits of reduced fees based on delivered tonnage.
Station hours are 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, visit rutherfordcountytn.gov/transfer_station or call 615-898-7739.
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Murfreesboro officials are making moves, after seven years, to reclaim control of the 2.5-acre site that was originally intended to support the One East College, LLC development.
The property is home to the former First Methodist Church, a small office building, and a city-owned parking lot, which was sold in 2018 for $1.8 million with plans for a mixed-use development. However, due to the cessation of construction activities, the city council has revoked the project’s incentives and has started a default process against the developer. Negotiations for reacquisition have now escalated toward eminent domain action.
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CLOSING
After its much-anticipated opening and nearly a year in business on the Murfreesboro Public Square, owners of Fire Korean BBQ & Bar, 109 N. Maple St., have announced that the restaurant will close at the end of June. The owners, who also own the Murfreesboro Jefferson’s, plan to reopen the space as a Jefferson’s location, with additional plans to close the restaurant’s current East Main Street location.
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The Boro Bar and Grill is closing after four decades serving Murfreesboro. It will officially close its doors on July 5, as restaurant owner Lee Roberts prepares for retirement. The Boro has been a go-to spot for generations of MTSU students and locals, known for its live music, casual atmosphere and karaoke nights, as well as showcasing local artists and bands. This announcement comes just weeks after The Boro celebrated its 40th anniversary in early June, 40 years since it first opened in 1985 on Greenland Drive near MTSU.
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After 31 years in the Murfreesboro area, Enchanted Planet has closed its Murfreesboro store. The one-stop hippie shop will continue to operate its Manchester location at 26 Sitz Dr.
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Milano II, located at 114 E College St., has announced that it has closed after more than a decade in business at the former downtown Murfreesboro clubhouse and funeral home location. However, Milano will continue offering catering services; those interested can text 615-556-3800.
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Dr. David Hopkins has announced that he will retire this fall and close his Maple Street Medical Clinic, located at 130 S. Maple St., just off the Murfreesboro Square.
“This was not an easy decision; unfortunately, I was unable to find a suitable replacement,” Hopkins said. “For all of us at Maple, it has been a privilege to care for you and your family. The trust, friendship and bonds we have made have been wonderful. Thanks to all of you.”
The clinic will continue taking appointments up to Sept. 26, and will close permanently on Oct. 1. Medical records can be requested by calling 615-217-4770 or emailing maple.st.medical@gmail.com. After the closing date, records will be maintained by Cariend—a professional storage company.
“Listening, sharing our stories, hugs and even some tears have taught me how to become a better physician. I’m extremely grateful for all the years being with you,” Hopkins said.
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The closure of the Murfreesboro Hooters, located at 730 NW Broad St., follows Hooters’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and is part of a nationwide move to shutter more than 30 underperforming company-owned locations. Hooters plans to eventually reopen some of these locations as franchises.
