'There was a hole': Archer’s BBQ to satisfy cravings for barbecue and pizza in Seymour
It has barely been a week since Archer Bagley shuttered his Archer’s BBQ Fountain City location and opened the window of his new food truck in Seymour.
Initially, Bagley set his sights on expanding to Winfield Dunn Parkway in Sevierville.
“I purchased some land with a cabin on it,” he said. Adina’s Sweets is the current renter but told Bagley to go ahead and set up his food trailer on the property.
“We got it all decked out, but the City of Sevierville won’t allow it, no food trucks,” said Bagley. “I went home after meeting with the city and got on Google Maps and searched for other barbecue restaurants. There was a hole in Seymour. You have to travel 18 or 25 minutes to Buddy’s, and if you head south the closest is Full Service BBQ.”
Related: Knoxville's fifth Archer's BBQ location coming to Fountain City
Hungry?: Check out these Knoxville restaurants open for dine in or catering on Thanksgiving
Bagley spotted the Citizens National Bank for sale or rent at 10225 Chapman Highway, just inside the Blount County line. “I have it leased with an option to purchase,” said Bagley. “We already had the trailer, I bought it brand new and got it permitted. We kept everyone fully employed, didn’t lose any steam and the trailer is already doing 50% better sales than Fountain City.”
Several tables covered in red and white checkered tablecloths and topped with bottles of Archer’s BBQ sauces invite customers to tuck right into their to-go orders. “We have meat and sides,” said Bagley. “You can order the buns, but we did away with the sandwich and plate options, we kept it simple.”
The new Seymour location is more than triple the square feet of the previous Fountain City restaurant, but don't expect Bagley to turn it into a larger dining room. The interior currently houses restaurant equipment and will essentially be used to fulfill orders with no real indoor seating planned.
“There is a triple drive-thru,” said Bagley. “You pull up and order at the window in the first lane closest to the building, the second is for picking up online orders and the third drive-thru will be for third-party delivery drivers.”
Archer’s BBQ can be ordered through Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
Bagley is also opening "Back Door Pizza" out of the former bank, and it will sell pizza via the back door. “It will be standard pizza with salads and wings, focusing on takeout," he said. "There is no pizza around here really."
Bagley is busy opening another restaurant, “Fire and Smoke," in the Northshore area. He's also building out a new Archer’s BBQ on Emory Road with a bar and large patio.
“May is our busiest month: Memorial Day, UT and then high school graduations and a third of the weddings seem to happen in May,” said Bagley, who will continue running the food truck in Seymour and hopefully open Back Door Pizza in June.
Previously: Archers BBQ introduces gourmet mac and cheese varieties
More: Archers BBQ launches Home Team Mac and Cheese
The new Archer’s BBQ food truck is available for select events and already is reserved for a large annual catered event. Thanks to the steady stream of customers, the truck will primarily stay parked at its new home on Chapman Highway.
“There are plenty of catering opportunities,” said Bagley. “They are extremely underserved; there are just not a lot of catering companies.”
While many restaurants are struggling to stay open every day, Bagley said it is important to do a lot of things for his staff.
“My salaried people only work five days a week with a set schedule,” he said. “We try to give my hourly employees a set schedule, too.”
Finding contractors to work on his new restaurant concepts and Archer’s BBQ locations is a whole other issue.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Archer's BBQ opens Seymour location after closing Fountain City
