CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Guy Stanford of Clarksville was watching the TV show “Shark Tank” when The Fat Shack owners gave a pitch that a year later changed his life.
The reactions of the judges as they ate the food, and the deal the owners made with Mark Cuban, business mogul, caught Stanford’s attention and began the young entrepreneur’s vision to bring the unique, late-night food craving spot to his hometown.
“I kept scoping out the opportunity, thinking what would it be like if I brought this here?” Stanford said. “I saw the judges’ reaction when they took a bite of the sandwich.”
Stanford and Zavion Williams, his business partner, did some research, contacted franchise leaders and turned in an application to be franchise owners. They flew to Colorado and met with the owners.
“We talked with them and explained our market, who we are in our communities, and they gave us the background of The Fat Shack. It was a perfect fit,” Sanford said. “Me and my business partner, we have a nice platform here and we knew it would be a fit for Clarksville. It’s a military town. We have a nice sized college. We are limited to food options and variety in Clarksville and have to go to Nashville to have an opportunity to have something different.”
Out of over 3,500 applicants, theirs was accepted, and The Fat Shack in Clarksville became the 20th franchise location, also the first in the region and in Tennessee.
The Fat Shack in Clarksville opened with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 28 with the Chamber of Commerce.
The first Fat Shack was created in February 2010 by Tom Armenti in New Jersey and opened the first official shop in Colorado. There are franchises in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.
What they offer
The Fat Shack specializes in “late night” fare, french fries, jalapeno poppers, onion rings and other deep fried appetizers. These same appetizers feature as ingredients for their signature sandwiches, which have names names like the “Fat Donkey Lips,” “Fat Tommy,” “Fat Doobie” and “Fat Hangover.”
For example, the Fat Shack is a sandwich with cheesteak, chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, mozarella sticks, french fries, onion rings and two sauces (servers say nacho cheese is a favorite).
They also offer three made-to-order burgers: the Single, Classic (Double) and Supreme (Triple), cheesesteaks, wings, boneless chicken and chicken strips. For dessert, they milkshakes and decadent deep fried treats, including Oreos, twinkies, cheesecake and Rice Krispy bites.
They offer daily lunch specials and online ordering,
Soon The Fat Shack will have a partnership with DoorDash, Uber and Grub Hub and offer delivery.
Future plans include opening a bar and serving beer and liquor.
For more
The Fat Shack is open is Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. at 1715 Wilma Rudolph Blvd. They offer inside dining with limited capacity due to COVID-19 and carryout.
Contact
- Call The Fat Shack at: 931-551-2141.
- Email them at: fatshackclarksville@gmail.com
- Visit their website at: http://www.fatshack.com
- Follow them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/fatshackclarksville/