Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Calhoun.
Chris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I spent 20 years in the Marine Corps and when I retired and moved back to Chattanooga I wanted to get in the beer business. That was in 2011 before the craft beer scene blew up. Spent several months distributing, worked in a wine store, and helped out one of the local breweries in town to learn the different aspects of running a business.
Had a partner that had retired from the Army, but he ended up moving back to Seattle for a spell and I took a contracting job overseas for 15 months. When I returned in mid-2014 the market had changed and several spots had opened up already, so I put my idea on hold. Spent some time working security jobs and for a logistics company, then took another overseas job to save more money.
After a friend helped me nail down a location in Historic St. Elmo at the base of Lookout Mountain, it was just a matter of waiting on the building to be restored, move in and set up shop. We opened for business officially on April 5th, 2017.
Has it been a smooth road?
Learning the business. There have been several ups and downs in the first 5+ months and I have learned a lot of what NOT to do, as well as what works.
Having never really been in the service industry meant surrounding myself with experienced and talented folks, which is what I did. The area we are in had never really had a bar, so there has been a lot of positive feedback about what we do and how we run things.
As the area develops, I believe we will become a destination spot for both the locals and visitors to the Chattanooga area.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Tap House story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a beer bar. I don’t want to be known as a restaurant. Although we have food, I want the beer to be the main focus. A solid line of rotating drafts and a few bottles and cans to add to that lineup.
The food we do is simple but unique. We have flights of nuts (5 flavors), meat and cheese plates, hummus, pimento cheese, sandwiches, and hot dogs on the menu. There will never be much more than that, but the menu can change as we grow. I think flexibility and openness to try new things is a must.
I am proud of the fact that we have a location that has history. The building itself has undergone numerous changes throughout the years, and being part of that feels good.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I would like to see us stay the same but grow at the same time. Become more of a stable in the St. Elmo community, not just as a beer drinking location, but a location to hold events. As the neighborhood and community change and grow, I believe we could have a positive effect on those changes.
Most people keep asking me if we plan on increasing our menu. I don’t see that happening due to the space it would take to create a kitchen, but we have imagination and I am not afraid to get creative. So the biggest change for us would be in how we handle a change in our food menu.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3800 St Elmo Ave, Suite 114,
Chattanooga, TN 37409 - Website: www.taphousechatt.com
- Phone: 4236828234
- Email: taphousechatt@gmail.com
- Instagram: @taphousechatt
- Facebook: @taphousechatt
- Twitter: @taphousechatt
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