Owner Christopher Jones talks about opening CJ’s Tacos inside Embassy Suites Hotel on Gay Street on Feb. 28, 2020. Knoxville
Two and a half years ago, Christopher Jones, better known in Knoxville as “C.J.,” was selling late-night tacos out of a tent to college students on weekends.
Then things progressed into a well-known food truck.
Now, he’s opening a permanent sit-down location inside the newest luxury downtown hotel.
The opportunity came in December when Jones sat down with the food truck’s co-owner, Alpesh Patel. Patel is also the CEO of the Kana Hotel Group, which owns and manages 70 premium properties including the Embassy Suites on Gay Street.
He helped CJ’s Tacos go from tent to food truck two years ago, and the pair has been looking to expand ever since. There was a space in the hotel’s mezzanine that was only being used for breakfast, so the two started thinking about how CJ’s could fit into the hotel’s upscale interior and still provide the fast, one-of-a-kind tacos the food truck is known for.
One week later, Jones and Patel decided to renovate the space so that it can seat about 70 hungry customers. Jones said the restaurant features state-of-the-art equipment and is “absolutely stunning.” The exterior may look much different, but customers can still enjoy all of CJ’s specialty tacos and a new build-your-own taco assembly line.
The hotel also sells alcohol in the lobby and at its rooftop bar, which can be brought into CJ’s.
Going from tent to truck to restaurant so quickly has had its challenges — Jones went from having four employees in the beginning to 22 with the announcement of the new location — but he’s excited for what’s to come for CJ’s Tacos.
“Owning a restaurant has always been a dream of mine, but I have even higher goals,” Jones told Knox News. “I would love to build a lot of CJ’s tacos, and I think that with my business partner, there is a lot of potential for what CJ’s Tacos could be.”
CJ’s Tacos truck still will be rolling around Knoxville to sell tacos and cater events, but Jones is looking forward to having an established location for customers to get their taco fix from lunch until late-night.
A soft opening will be held at the restaurant from 5-10 p.m. Saturday and the grand opening will be hosted on March 14.
CJ’s Tacos is located at 507 S. Gay St. The restaurant will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Thursday-Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday.
Customers can find CJ’s right above the Embassy Suite’s front desk and can enter from Gay Street or Union Avenue.
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