Pizza Hoss times three: New location opening in former Archer's BBQ space

When Justin Holmes opens his third Pizza Hoss restaurant in what used to be Archer’s BBQ’s Powell location, his franchise plan will be set into motion.

He’s not overseeing restaurants anymore. Holmes is running a company.

“Having franchises was not what I planned,” Holmes said. “But with COVID, things change.

“I enjoy building a restaurant. I’ll let someone else handle the day-to-day operation once I get it to a point where it’s strong.”

Once Holmes came to Powell from Southern California, he opened the original Pizza Hoss in Powell in 2012. Five years ago, he opened his second pizza place in Karns.

“The first two (restaurants) have polar opposite vibes,” Holmes said. “It’s up to the people of the community to tell you the direction you want to go with the ‘feel’ of the place. I won’t force any of my ideas on the community. I’ll just let the people decide.

“I figure it will probably match the Powell location, but, we’ll see.”

Smaller Pizza Hoss feels better

Archer’s BBQ was in its newly renovated location (1301 E. Emory Road) on the border of Powell and Halls about six weeks when it abruptly closed in early fall. Holmes said he had been looking for the right location for six months when this opened up.

“It had to be a property that had been a restaurant before,” he said. “Once it opened up, I jumped at it.”

One priority is that a mandatory grease trap and hood were already in place. Buying those new in order to satisfy code regulations would cost between $45,000 and $70,000.

The new building is 2,200 square feet, about half the size of the Karns outlet.

“I prefer the smaller space,” Holmes said. “We just have to work some things out in the kitchen.”

Holmes said a garage door will be installed behind the bar so that, during warm weather, the outdoor patio will be easily accessible and visible.

Opportunity to own available

Given the success of the first two restaurants, the Pizza Hoss brand comes with immediate credibility. It’s close enough that name recognition will bring in patrons, but far enough from the other two locations that it won’t siphon off business.

“The challenge we’ve had is something everyone has − staffing,” Holmes said. “It’s all part of the aftereffects of COVID. Like anything, you’ve gotta adjust and you’ve gotta tweak what you do to make it work.

“We’ve seen that pizza is kinda bulletproof, recession-proof.”

Holmes said he uses the Chick-fil-A business model, which has been successful on a national scale, to operate his company on a more local basis.

Each of the Chick-fil-A stores is locally owned.

“We want people to know this could be an opportunity for them to own a franchise,” Holmes said. “We want to create the ownership opportunity for someone who might not have the resources. It will spread the Pizza Hoss brand for those who work hard and have great effort.

“Ownership will give a person that little bit of pride they might not normally have.”

The plan is for the new location to open by March 1.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Pizza Hoss in Knoxville opening in former Archer's BBQ space