A Hamilton Place-area restaurant that’s been the backdrop to meet-cutes that turned into marriages and decades of family traditions is closing.

The Chop House, 2011 Gunbarrel Road, is shutting its doors on Jan. 15 after 25 years in business.

Traffic coming into the steakhouse chain hasn't been as strong as it needs to be to maintain the investment, a manager said last week.

When we broke the news, fans of the restaurant were quick to share disappointments, memories and well-wishes, but the change also prompted a discussion about what that area needs or can support.

Initial reader reactions

On Facebook alone, we got almost 500 comments and about 800 shares on this post. That’s a lot, so it’s clear this is a hot topic.

“Too many restaurants have opened in that area and not enough people to support them.” – Reid A.

“Yeah, the market has watered down over there. Only the strong will survive.” – Bryan T.

"Getting in or out is just too difficult so people don’t bother.” – Molly W.

Closings, openings

There have been a few closings in that area, including Bar Louie, Famous Dave’s and Logan’s Roadhouse.

But there is also a new development.

CBL spokeswoman Taylor Bostwick also said that Hamilton Place in the midst of a “massive transformation that started with the opening of The Cheesecake Factory in December 2018.”

In coming months, Hamilton Place will open:

Question

So, that brings us to the questions about what you want to see happen in that area to happy residents + success for businesses.

Trista, Brianna and I (Chloé here 👋) discussed it, and admittedly, we are all prone to hang out downtown instead of Hamilton Place. But we wondered:

if an influx of millennials and Gen Zers, like us, combined with the growth of downtown is pulling business away
whether the fact that it’s a chain affected anything.

And when Today reported that hundreds of Pizza Hut locations are slated to close this year, the outlet noted that chains are being forced to overcome fast-food’s competitive prices and fast-casual places that offer healthier options.

So, with some of those ideas in mind, we want you to weigh in below. 👇

Answered

When we reported that The Chop House is closing, we also started a conversation about your vision for the Hamilton Place area. If you’re already an East Brainerd regular, we wanted your expertise about what the local market needs. If you avoid that area like it’s the DMV, we wanted to know what could change that.

We got 100 insightful responses to our Google form.

More than 60% of our respondents said they generally hang out downtown, so many people want a reason to go to the mall area.

One person said the only thing that would get them there is a Trader Joe’s. (Countless people put Trader Joe’s at the top of their list, and despite rumors, we don’t have anything official on whether there are plans to bring the grocery chain here.)

Almost no one said they prefer chain establishments, but many people want a mix of locally-owned restaurants and national brands. 👇

Check out the rest of the results.

What hinders people from going to the Hamilton Place area?

Traffic
Distance from home
Parking
Crowds
Crime
Cost
Touristy-feel
Noise

What readers said they want to see in that area:

Healthy food options
Ethnic food
Vegan/vegetarian offerings
Covered parking
Dog-friendly establishments
Gluten-free options
Focus on cleanliness
Craft beer
A food hall, like Market South
Consistent quality in restaurants
Specials + happy hours
Eco-friendly focus
More bars

More specifically…

An Apple store
Macy’s
Vietnamese or Korean BBQ
Connors like Huntsville Ala.
Patagonia
Crate & Barrel
Sweet Tomatoes
Lazy Dog
Another Taco Mamacita
West Coast fares, like In-n-Out or El Pollo Loco
White Castle (Whoa, y’all. This is Krystal territory! 🤣)
Shaw’s Crabhouse
Koji Express Japanese Grill
Ikea

In your words

Here’s what readers said about the Hamilton Place area:

“More stores, parking garage, appointment buildings, a better mall to shop at needs to expand with better stores and a satellite school/college of some sort.” – Darrell S.

“Replace chain with local. Put a Trader Joe’s up. Redesign shopping malls to look more urban and add more tactical urbanism, such as flower beds, trees, modern design of buildings.” – Caroline R.

“I love downtown coffee shops and restaurants but living in Cleveland I can't get down there as often as I'd like and when we need to have a quick date night there are no great Mean Mug/Milk-n-Honey/Cashew type places around Hamilton. Ugh.” – Kingry K.

“Chattanooga needs better store names. You have to go to Nashville or Atlanta to get better clothing stores. Outlet malls have better stores than Hamilton place.” – Jamie C.

“I live in the Hamilton Place area, so I tend to stay in the area just because of travel time. Also, the parking here is MUCH better than downtown. I love places that have character and don't feel too carbon copy. Chains are okay because of familiarity but I love my locally owned or at least smaller chains more.” – Courtney F.

“I would love to see better traffic control before anything else is added.” – Emily A.

“Really if you sell a good product at a reasonable price people will go there. Some of the restaurants including Chop House priced themselves out of the market. Look at how successful Cheddar's is.” – Keith P.

“East Brainerd needs a Cambridge Square type of development to attract people of all ages. It combines entertainment, wine bars, artisan restaurants, coffee shops and fairs of all kinds. I love what Ooltewah has done there!” – Jan J.

“I see Hamilton Place area as more of a family-centered area, not a place for young professionals or empty-nesters (like me).” – Donna M.

“Some locally owned restaurants that are well-financed and can survive.” – Scott H

“There should be more entertainment for those who don’t drink or want to party.” – Rebecca B.

“If we could get more of the local downtown chefs/restauranteurs (Stir, Easy Bistro, St. John’s) to add locations in E. Brainerd/Ooltewah, that would be awesome!” – David D.