‘Burleson’ pizza gets permit for $700,000 ‘interior project’ in Clinton Shopping Center
Upscale eatery will be in Clinton Shopping Center
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Workers for a mechanical contractor dig up the floor to install plumbing in the space in the new Clinton Shopping Center next to Sonic as part of the interior construction for an upscale, table-service pizza restaurant coming later this year. - G Chambers Williams III
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Work is underway on a new upscale pizza restaurant at the east end (left) of the new Clinton Shopping Center on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard between Wendy’s and Sonic, and the new Nail Lounge in the center of the strip. On the right will be a US Cellular store. - G Chambers Williams III
Work has begun on a $700,000 project to build an upscale, dine-in pizza restaurant with table service in the new Clinton Shopping Center on North Charles G. Seivers Boulevard between Sonic and Wendy’s.
Although no official name has been announced yet, the building permit issued by the city of Clinton on May 11 lists the business as “Burleson Brands Pizza,” which is owned by longtime Knoxville restaurateur Randy Burleson.
There are unconfirmed reports that it might be called Universal Pizza Company.
Restaurants operated in the Knoxville area by Burleson include Aubrey’s, Stefano’s Pizza, and Bluetick Tavern.
Christopoulos & Kennedy Construction of Knoxville is building the interior of the new pizza restaurant, which will have 3,178 square feet of space.
Construction Manager Thomas Perry said last week that the work should be finished sometime this summer, but that no opening date has been announced yet for the restaurant.
Also under construction in the same center, at 2224 N. Charles G. Seivers Blvd., is the Nail Lounge, which obtained a $120,000 building permit on April 5 for the interior installation. The owner is listed on the permit as Noire Nail Bar.
The new center is a four-unit strip of businesses that eventually will also include a US Cellular store. No building permit had been issued for the cellphone store as of last week.
Already open in the center is the Penn Station East Coast Subs sandwich shop.
Owner Melissa Greene of Louisville, who was on hand for the April opening, said it is the fourth Penn Station sandwich shop in the Greater Knoxville area. The others are in Sevierville, Fountain City and North Peters Road in Knoxville, she said.
Greene the sub shop has a staff “20-plus.” She said Penn Station’s most-popular sub is the Philly Cheesesteak, but that customers also like the fresh made-to-order French fries and the hand-squeezed lemonade.
There is a large variety of menu items, including cold and grilled subs, sandwich wraps and salads.
As for the overall center, the city of Clinton in May 2022 issued a building permit for the nearly $1 million, 7,000-square-foot shell building at the site. Contractor was listed as Creative Structures, Inc.
The site is less than a mile from Interstate 75, Exit 122. It will have 75 parking spaces, according to documents on the Oliver Smith Realty website.
The 1.2-acre site was owned until recently by LKM Properties, the holding company for Weigel’s convenience stores properties.
Clinton City Manager Roger Houck said that Weigel’s had plans earlier to put a second Clinton store on that site, but gave up on the idea when the Tennessee Department of Transportation declined Weigel’s request for a cut through the median on Seivers Boulevard so traffic could access the store from both sides of the highway.
