Authored By chloe.morrison

Craft beer tavern World of Beer will open this summer on Market Street in the former location of Qdoba.

It will be the first one in Tennessee, general manager Kevin Strech said, adding that he hopes there will be more throughout the state.

The Scenic City was an ideal place to start “because of the love of craft beer in Chattanooga we’ve seen,” he said.

The live music downtown was another draw for the franchise, he said.

“We have over 500 different bottles from all over the world, plus 50 taps,” he said. “We will have a full menu of tavern fare, ranging from burgers to salmon and wings-a little bit of everything.”

The new business, which will be at 412 Market St., will initially add about 60 jobs to the area, he said.

And crews have expanded beyond what the old Qdoba space used to be, so World of Beer will be bigger at about 6,000 square feet.

Strech said the team is shooting for a July opening, and he’s currently in Daytona, Fla., working with other World of Beer locations in preparation for the local opening.

“I’ll be back in town for Craft Beer Week,” he said. “We’ll be joining some of the vendors for that … and introducing ourselves to the community.”

Craft Beer Week is scheduled for May 10.