First Watch open in Tulane Crossing
First Watch restaurant has opened in Oak Ridge at Tulane Crossing, the latest in a handful of businesses to move into that recently developed area. (photo:Ben Pounds )
The restaurant, featuring cocktails, juices, pancakes, eggs, omelets, French toast and more, is in a recently constructed shopping center at 404 Tulane Ave.
The restaurant recently had its grand opening weekend, promoting the Free Medical Clinic and temporarily offering free food with suggested donations to that organization.
The restaurant is open each day from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
The small shopping center in that area, Tulane Crossing, began construction after the self-described “luxury apartments” at Main Street Lofts at 300 South Tulane Ave. opened to renters in 2022.
Those took over the former site of the American Museum of Science and Energy, which moved next to Oak Ridge’s JC Penney.
The Tulane Crossing shopping center took over a formerly vacant lot near the Main Street Loft apartments.
First Watch joinined Tropical Smoothie Café, Urgent Care Family Care, and Chase, which all opened in 2024.
Knoxville-based Capstone Concepts manages the area’s First Watch franchises.
While First Watch may seem like the kind of place to appeal to the nearby Main Street Lofts residents, Capstone Concepts’ training and marketing director Morgan Shields instead spoke of the location’s closeness to Illinois Avenue and appeal to people coming in from other towns.
“We are hoping that people who have never heard of First Watch will see us and stop in to give us a try,”Shields said. “I think all the new development happening in Oak Ridge is amazing, and bringing in so many new people to town. We have had so many guests who frequent our Knoxville locations ask about when we were coming to Oak Ridge, and because the demand was so high we knew we needed to come to town.
“Oak Ridge and Anderson County are growing, and we want to make sure they can visit a First Watch in their area.”
