When Jason Day opened Joanie’s in Murfreesboro in November 2019 along St. Andrews Drive, he did not know his burgeoning business would be plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic several months later. However, the community supported the restaurant and it weathered the pandemic, and Day eventually opened a second location at 13 S. Public Square.
“Murfreesboro has been great to us. They supported us through COVID to the point that the second location we built on the square was possible,” Day told What Now Nashville. “Both locations are very popular and doing very well. That’s a testament to the city and the support they’re showing us.”
Recently, the adjacent space beside the Joanie’s on the square opened up after a coffee shop shuttered, and Day seized the opportunity to expand. Not only does the space double Joanie’s footprint, but it also provides Day with a way to give back to the community that has supported his business faithfully over the years.
“We want to make sure we’re giving the city and the people here something really fun, special and unique,” Day said.
The new space will double the footprint of Joanie’s, and Day plans to put it to good use. He will open a coffee-wine bar concept in the new area, offering a distinct vibe from the traditional Joanie’s restaurant space. The front area of the new space will offer lounge seating, with a coffee and bar counter in the middle. In the back, there will be a dining room that will serve as overflow restaurant seating as well as a private event space.
“I could have opened up next door and just put tables and chairs there and it would have been fine,” Day said. “But I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to do something special for the city because we are so fortunate to have that beautiful space on the downtown square.”
Day does not have an exact opening timeline for the coffee-wine bar because it depends on renovations, but he is hoping to open the space in April.
For Day, Joanie’s is an establishment deeply intertwined with Murfreesboro. He does not plan to expand beyond the city, and he has signed an agreement for the next 10 years on the square. The coffee-wine bar represents an evolution and growth of the brand that will continue to build Joanie’s presence in Murfreesboro.
“It’s an opportunity to be entrenched in that downtown square we love being part of,” Day said. “It allows us to grow with the city and really expand our brand. It’s very exciting for us.”
