Uncle Fluffy Japanese Cake will soon begin work on Uncle Fluffy’s second USA location. It will be located in Murfreesboro at 2333 Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ste. B next to the Waffle House. The new restaurant will offer a variety of Japanese cheesecakes, tarts, coffee and tea options.

Uncle Fluffy is a franchise that has 30 different locations around the world, most of which are in the Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon.

Dubai-based entrepreneur Alaa Mohra opened the first Uncle Fluffy in Dubai in 2017. After a visit to Japan, he found himself craving pillowy Japanese cheesecake. He couldn’t find the same jiggly, soufflé-style cheesecake anywhere and decided to set up his own Japanese-style cheesecake bakery.

The brand now pushes for more franchises and offers interested location owners the opportunity to start a new Uncle Fluffy location with kiosks, ovens, mixers, signage, uniforms, installation manuals, secret recipes, training and low franchise costs.

For more information, visit unclefluffyfranchise.com.

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The former Ahart’s Pizza Garden at 2476 Old Fort Pkwy. will soon feature a new brewery. Brewery co-owner Brandon Bingman said he expects Middle Ground Brewing Company to open sometime in late August and for it to provide a variety of exceptional beers, snacks, shareables and sandwiches.

Middle Ground will be operated by four Murfreesboro locals with several years of experience. Bingman spent 10 years with Yazoo Brewing in Nashville.

“I like to brew beers that you can sit around with friends and enjoy a few pints of,” Bingman said in anticipation of the opening.

Other associates at the new business include Kurstin Bingman—Brandon’s wife, who has an eye for design and is considered a painter extraordinaire (she painted some murals and art pieces in the new space)—and Mike Hein and Judy Van Hein, who offer years of experience in networking and connecting as the two are longtime Murfreesboro residents and MTSU faculty members.

The location aims to provide a comfortable gathering spot, and while Bingman says Murfreesboro already contains some great breweries, this marks the first one located west of I-24.

“At Middle Ground, we brew our beer with passion and precision, using hand-selected ingredients and commitment to the craft. Whether you’re a hop head, a stout lover, or somewhere in between, we’ve got you covered.” For more information, find Middle Ground Brewing Company on Facebook or Instagram.

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Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries will open another Tennessee location at 5131 Franklin Rd. in Murfreesboro The brand has opened numerous other Middle Tennessee locations over recent years in Nolensville, Spring Hill, Shelbyville, Lewisburg, Tullahoma and Gallatin.

The first Hwy 55 opened in a mall in North Carolina in 1991. It was called Andy’s Cheesesteaks & Cheeseburgers at the time, and its beginnings were humble. Owner Kenney Moore cooked every burger by himself from open to close while in full view of his customers as he couldn’t afford a traditional restaurant kitchen at the time. This open-grill situation led him to the understanding that you could talk to and interact with customers better, create stronger relationships and enhance experiences just by cooking in front of the customer.

“Today, we have over 135 of those open-grill diners across eight states and two countries, but their missions are the same as Kenney’s when he first opened the doors in 1991: to deliver authentic hospitality and fresh food to anyone who wants a little something more out of their dining experience,” according to information from Hwy 55.

The restaurant features a variety of cheeseburgers, cheesesteaks, frozen custard, chicken platters, made-to-order salads and hand-squeezed lemonade. Hours will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the restaurant will offer dine-in, takeout and delivery. For more information, visit hwy55.com.

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Dutch Bros. Coffee has unveiled plans for another Murfreesboro location, this one at Victory Station on Franklin Road. This location of the drive-thru coffee company marks the third Dutch Bros. announced in Murfreesboro, in addition to the 3255 Memorial Blvd. and 1950 Old Fort Pkwy. stores under development (as well as the third location on this same stretch of road, which changes names from Franklin Road to Old Fort Parkway to Memorial Boulevard).

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Richard’s Kitchen, located at 113 W. Lytle St. just across from the Rutherford County Judicial Center, opened in July, serving wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads, salads, loaded potatoes, muffins and more.

Restaurant owner Richard Alberts has been in the food service business for the past 47 years working in high-end hotel restaurants, catering, contract food service, and college and private school campuses.

“It has been a lifelong dream of mine to own my own place,” he said. “I started cooking with my grandmother when I was 7 years old and haven’t stopped.”

Richard’s Kitchen is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and breakfast options include biscuits and gravy, burritos and breakfast sandwiches.

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Atomic Wings will open a location in Murfreesboro later this year, planned for 5607 Franklin Rd., Ste A-2 (next to the Gateway Urgent Care near the Veterans Parkway intersection), which will be an addition to 24 current and upcoming locations across the U.S. Menu items will, of course, include wings, as well as sandwiches, salads, gyro options, chicken and waffles, and a variety of sauce flavors. For more information, visit atomicwings.com.

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The Donut NV franchise has added a new truck in Tennessee in the Murfreesboro area, in addition to the trucks serving the Cookeville, Chattanooga and Columbia areas. Donut NV provides mini-donut catering for local events, weddings and parties. In addition to the variety of mini-donut flavors, Donut NV trucks offer ice coffee, lemonade and more.

For more information on the local Donut NV including events, visit facebook.com/donutnvmurfreesborotennessee.

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Banh Appetit will open a location near the Kroger on South Church Street at 2892 S. Church St., Ste. E. Judging from the name, the restaurant will likely offer Vietnamese sandwiches known as Banh Mi.

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The Jimmy John’s located at 1520 Memorial Blvd. is expected to move by the beginning of September to make way for the newest bagel place in Murfreesboro.

Boro Bagel, a unique, locally owned bagel shop run by a husband-and-wife team, should then open its doors to the public sometime in October or November.

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Wendy’s has plans to open another Murfreesboro location at 3243 Memorial Blvd., just across from The Cannon apartment units.

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Wingstop will open a second Murfreesboro location at 2706 Old Fort Pkwy., Ste. A in the former Papa Murphy’s location.

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Nutrition Faktory will open another, much larger, Murfreesboro location, currently labeled as the world’s biggest sports nutrition store, with 8,000 square feet of space. The new store, located at 1266 NW Broad St., which is the former K-Mart building just a few units down from Crunch Fitness, will offer 88 sections of protein; a current existing area location only has six.

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Tennessee families will soon see millions of dollars in state sales tax cuts with the new Tennessee Grocery Tax Holiday.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed the Tennessee Works Tax Act during its latest legislative session, making one of the largest tax cuts in Tennessee history. Included in the tax act is a grocery tax holiday from August through October, meaning Tennesseans will not pay tax on food at the grocery store for three full months.

The current tax rate for most food items in Tennessee is 4%. The August through October state tax cut applies to “food and food ingredients,” but alcoholic beverages, tobacco, candy and dietary supplements will still be taxed and local taxes will still apply.

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Angela Bauer at Precious Angels Consignment Sale recently announced that she has sold the business to Lori Hoge. Hoge has retitled the business RuCo Kids Consignment Sale.

As part of the rebranding, the business will move back to Murfreesboro after the last few years operating seasonal sales in Woodbury. Its next sale will take place Aug. 16–19 at the Mid-TN Expo Center, 1660 Middle Tennessee Blvd. For more information, visit rucokids.com.

Bauer mentioned in a Facebook post that she will continue to work with Hoge, who herself has several years of experience in the consignment business.

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Pet Paradise, a chain of pet resorts and boarding facilities with locations spanning the Southern U.S. from Virginia to Phoenix, has opened its first Tennessee location at 2500 Rideout Ln., Murfreesboro, near the AMC Classic 16 theater.

Pet Paradise provides spacious, climate-controlled suites for dogs and cats needing overnight accommodations, as well as daycare services. Webcam access allows pet owners to check on their pets remotely.

Pet Paradise also offers grooming services, training classes and veterinary care. Dog and cat guests can enjoy an outdoor bone-shaped swimming pool and splash pad, a synthetic grass play area, a shaded play yard with misting stations and peaceful private cat condos at the Murfreesboro location.

For more information, visit petparadise.com/murfreesboro.htm.

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WaWa has plans to open a convenience store and a gas station on two acres along New Salem Highway and Warrior Drive.

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University Barbershop and Salon has opened its new location at 2824 S. Rutherford Blvd. This joins its two other existing locations at 132 St. Andrews Dr.and 1403 Greenland Dr.

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Diva Nail Bar recently received its building permit and will soon open at 225 N. Rutherford Blvd. Ste. E in the shopping center with Thai Spice and Siri Bubble Tea.

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BBeautiful Injectables owner Trinae Lashley acquired nearby Breathe Easy Salt Rooms and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The business offers a variety of salt therapy options including massages, salt yoga, sound therapy, salt rooms, salt products and more. Breathe Easy is located at 3138 S. Church St.

Breathe Easy offers salt therapy for children as well as adults. Children can enjoy the room’s 5,000 pounds of pink and red Himalayan salt pebbles, sand toys, TV and more. Adults can relax in a space with 15,000 pounds of Himalayan pink salt and Dead Sea salt with a backlit color-changing salt wall, zero-gravity loungers, and pure sodium chloride dispersed into the air to help aid in the relief of respiratory and skin conditions. Reportedly, salt therapy can also enhance athletic performances, boost the immune system, relieve allergy symptoms, help with snoring and sleeping problems, address stress and anxiety and improve overall well-being.

Breathe Easy also offers honey, elderberry products, soaps and scrubs. For more information, visit breathesalt.com or call 615-987-9118.

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Zenith Nail Studio recently received a building permit necessary to open at 3127 Medical Center Pkwy. Ste. B2.

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Plans for the Main Event facility planned for the Clari Park area of Medical Center Parkway continue to move forward. Main Event entertainment complexes in other areas include bowling alleys, laser tag, arcade games, gravity ropes, billiards, casual dining and private meeting spaces. For more information, visit mainevent.com.

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Louisville-based Republic Bank & Trust Co. recently announced the expansion of its operations to the Nashville area. The bank’s new centers will open in units that already exist, and will only need renovation, which will begin this summer and should be complete by fall of 2023.

The three locations will be on Kedron Parkway in Spring Hill, West End Avenue in Nashville and at 1141 Fortress Blvd. in Murfreesboro in the former Redstone Federal Credit Union space that Redstone recently vacated.

“We are excited to deepen our roots in the Greater Nashville region by investing in this community and partnerships for the long-term,” said Republic Bank Tennessee Market President Chad Hart in a recent press release. “Our expansion into these communities aligns with the rapid growth in the region and makes us more accessible to a wider range of customers.”

The new facilities will increase the number of Republic Bank employees in the region from 16 to 28.

The bank now operates across five states: Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Tennessee. For more information, visit republicbank.com.

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CLOSING

Vibe Nutrition, located just off the Murfreesboro Public Square at 208 W. Main St., has announced that it will close “due to losing our lease because the building is going to be used for other uses.” Its last day of operation will be Aug. 12.