KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An owner of Central Filling Station said Thursday that the food truck park would not reopen.
The food truck park opened in March 2018 and invited the community to enjoy food and drinks at the site of an old gas station on Central Street. It became part of a growing hub of bars and gathering places in the Happy Holler corridor.
Central Filling Station would host entertainment from local bands, and shared brews from across the region. It also brought out food trucks like CJ's Tacos, Big O's Famous BBQ and Knox Dough. There were 22 trucks listed on its website in total.
It also hosted bands for the Sunset on Central music festival.
“We expected a decline in business once the pandemic was over, but the decline was more than anticipated," said Charles Ellis, an owner of Central Filling Station. "The business wasn’t able to sustain itself over the last year, so we’ve chosen to not reopen. We’re not sure what direction the property will take in the future. We loved running the business, and are sad to see it go, but we’re excited to offer more fun things for the neighborhood in the future.”
He is also the general manager of Yee-Haw Brewing Co., located near the Central Filling Station property. The new brewery and beer garden was in the works for years, after Elkmont Exchange closed. It opened with 62 taps and Prince's Hot Chicken, a chain restaurant. Its outdoor amphitheater is designed to host large concerts with more than 700 people.
"I think it boomed during the pandemic because it was an outdoor space that allowed people to gather outside when we couldn't gather indoors," said Garrett Thomson, who was a concert promoter for Central Filling Station.