CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Chattanooga, Tennessee, restaurant company behind STIR and State of Confusion is putting its kitchen flavors on store shelves.
SquareOne Holdings has rolled out a bigger retail line that includes tonic syrups for cocktails, seasoning blends and barbecue sauce. This consumer products arm is run out of the company’s Chattanooga headquarters, and the goal is to let diners take home the flavors they already order at its restaurants, according to the company’s marketing chief.
The products grow out of how the group already cooks. Its kitchens make their spice mixes, dressings, mixers and sauces from scratch. At STIR, the bar builds drinks with house-made bitters and syrups and artisanal ice, all prepared on site.
SquareOne is bigger than many diners may realize. It runs 20 restaurants under 11 brands across five states, has a staff of more than 2,000 and serves roughly 50,000 guests a week.
Locally, its lineup includes Massey’s Kitchen in Lookout Mountain and Olos, a Mediterranean spot inside the Embassy Suites downtown. The company got its start with STIR in the old Chattanooga Choo Choo terminal building, where the dining room and a patio look out over Station Street.
STIR itself remains the flagship. Beyond the cocktail program, it runs a raw bar with oysters and other seafood served raw, steamed or cooked, draws a weekend brunch crowd, offers catering for off-site events and rolls out a fresh specials menu every two weeks.
For Chattanooga, the move adds a homegrown name to the regional market for packaged sauces and drink mixers, built on recipes first tested in the city’s restaurants.
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