'Fast service, cheap drinks': New Cumberland bar prepares for Tennessee football fans

The owners of Sevier Avenue's SouthSide Garage plan to open a college bar off Cumberland Avenue before the Tennessee football season wraps.

In the heart of Knoxville's college neighborhood, Undeclared will embrace the campus vibe and will serve beer quickly so current University of Tennessee at Knoxville students and alumni to have another place to watch the Volunteers play.

Undeclared is under renovation at 713 17th St. near the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus. Located just off the Strip on the same block as Chipotle, the bar should open in the middle of the football season, owners say.

"As of now, pending any supply chain issues or any other delays like that, we should be open in mid October, if not sooner," co-owner David Yousif said.

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It's the second bar for Yousif and co-owner James Tourville, who opened SouthSide Garage in 2018. Located at 1014 Sevier Ave., SouthSide Garage is a craft beer bar that hosts Oakwood BBQ as its permanent food truck.

They are partnering with John-Stephen Sanabria, who worked with Tourville in 2017 to open Literboard, another college bar on Cumberland. Tourville said his experience operating Literboard will influence Undeclared's college bar vibe.

Quick drinks for the college hustle

Tourville and Yousif aren't looking to reinvent the wheel with Undeclared. But they want to add to what Cumberland Avenue has to offer.

"It's a campus bar, kind of built off a similar style of Literboard, and it's going to be all about having a good time, live music, DJs, fast service, cheap drinks, just adding another place on the Cumberland 'Strip' for students to be able to walk to and enjoy a night out," Tourville said.

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The 30-foot U-shaped bar can staff up to five bartenders. With 12 beers on draft, the bar will primarily serve domestics like Bud Light and Michelob Ultra and a couple craft beers for about $5. The bar might have a mixed drink on draft and a frozen drink.

"Something that we do here [at SouthSide] actually is we do cocktails on draft. So we've talked about having one draft dedicated to a cocktail or … possibly a shooter," Tourville said.

Undeclared will also have an "elevated snack menu," but the menu hasn't been finalized. Yousif said he plans to partner with their food truck partners from SouthSide Garage to have food options on game days.

"We'll try to take advantage of game days, when we know we're gonna have more alumni in town, to make sure they've got a better food option," Yousif said.

The bar also will have a dance floor where bands and DJs will perform. Garage doors will lead to a small patio in front of 17th Street.

Tourville added that he plans to implement his previous marketing strategies to bring in people to the bar, especially students.

"I think one thing we had a lot of success with Literboard is our more new-age marketing," Tourville said. "Silly as it sounds, we do a lot of memes. We do a lot of stuff that kind of resonates with the current students and that student body."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Cumberland Ave bar Undeclared prepares for Tennessee football season