Stock Burgers and local craft brews coming to Halls
The corner of Dry Gap and Emory Road has been completely transformed, and a second Stock Burgers location is set to open in Halls this October.
The reclaimed barnwood-clad interior is a replica of the first Stock Burgers, which opened in July 2016 on Sutherland Avenue. “It has the same look as Sutherland Avenue – a down-to-earth simple look,” said owner Edward Oliwa.
“I never force things, I kind of wait for what God provides,” said Oliwa of his new location. “When the right thing comes along I’m ready for it. We look for small spaces that are tucked away, but have access to day trade.”
If all goes according to plan, they hope to open Oct. 1. “It’s a Sunday and we don’t open for dinner, we just open for lunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays,” said Oliwa. “I don’t like the big parade opening, I like to take care of my customers.”
The menu will feature Stock Burgers’ trademark, handmade fresh burgers and will be exactly the same as the Sutherland Avenue location, according to Oliwa. “Since 1992 I’ve never bought a patty from anyone. We season our beef and make patties daily at the restaurant,” he said. “That’s half of the sales. But we also have a big variety of chicken sandwiches, great hot dogs, Bratwurst and Polish sausages.”
Other menu offerings include Southern style seafood of hand breaded or grilled shrimp and fried fish. “We also offer specials from the smokehouse that are not on the menu,” said Oliwa, gesturing to the smokehouse that is already in place. “Once a month we do ribs, every now and again we do brisket and we sell a lot of smoked pork loin Cuban sandwiches.”
Hand cut French fries and freshly breaded onion rings are other popular sellers. “We also offer collard greens and my mother’s bean salad recipe – it’s simple but fantastic,” said Oliwa. “We have Miss Emma’s banana pudding on the menu, I learned a lot from a lady I worked with 30 years ago in Charlotte and she also taught me how to make a good ranch and barbecue sauce, as well as a hot sauce that’s a little bit different.”
Beer taps are already in place behind the front counter. “I noticed a lot of craft beer places offer 50-60 different craft beers, but there may be just 20 sellers and they didn’t offer food – they had food delivered or food trucks,” said Oliwa. “You won’t have a beer you’ve never had before, we will sell craft beer from local Knoxville breweries and from other breweries in the area such as Johnson City.”
The 50-seat restaurant also has a new fenced-in courtyard with a fire pit. A front porch area has been created for customers to “hang out.”
“I don’t price gouge people, we serve a big burger with fries for $10,” said Oliwa. “I don’t want you to go home hungry and make yourself a snack. I don’t care to get rich, I care about making a good living for my family. I enjoy this and wouldn’t want to do a different kind of work.”
Stock Burgers is at 1420 Emory Road and will be open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
http://www.stockburgers.com