Ex-Cheeburger Cheeburger owners open new restaurant

Former Cheeburger Cheeburger owners open new restaurant, River Drifters

River Drifters Bar & Grill isn’t even open yet but last Thursday at least six customers strolled into the restaurant off Suck Creed Road hungry for dinner — many of them still in their swimsuits and fresh off the Tennessee River that flows nearby.

Opening Monday, River Drifters at 1925 Suck Creek Road is the newest venture of former downtown Chattanooga Cheeburger Cheeburger owners Charlie and Renee Eich who were forced out of their location off Market Street last March when the 141-year-old brick buliding collapsed.

Not ones to stay down for long though, the couple is branching off from the Cheeburger Cheeburger franchise and trying their own thing with River Drifters, which will offer craft beer from local breweries, burgers and sandwiches for about $8 each and stand-up paddle board and kayak rentals for diners to hop on before or after their meals.

Some menu items are named after family members, like “The Chaser” and the “Granny G” sandwiches named after their son and Renee’s grandmother. The meatball sub is a recipe from Charlie’s grandmother.

“We were finally able to do the menu we wanted to do and not have the pressures of being a franchise,” Charlie said. “Cheeburger was a great franchise, but you are still limited on some stuff.”

Opening just in time for the July 4th holiday, the space can accomodate about 70 guests and includes outside seating, as well. The couple said they wanted a place where they could bring their kids and provide a family-friendly atmostphere for guests.

On Thursday, their 3-year-old daugther Ella sat on a red, leather couch dressing her barbie dolls while her mom and dad sat in a booth nearby. They also have two sons — Chaz, 18, and Chase, 12.

“You are going to see that kid and our two boys daily,” Charlie said, pointing to his youngest and only daughter. “We wanted to be somewhere where we could be with the kids and just feel comfortable.”

Even though lawsuits that sprang up between the Eichs and their landlord in the aftermath of Cheeburger Cheeburger collapsing still have not been settled in court, the couple said they didn’t want to wait any longer to get on with their lives and their

STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG STRICKLAND Chase Eich carries paddles and flotation devices to the Tennessee River near the River Drifters Bar & Grill. The new restaurant and paddle rental spot on Suck Creek Road opens July 2.

Co-owner Renee Eich paddles with her daughter Ella as her son, Chase, right, sits on a nearby dock on the Tennessee River.

Owners Charlie, right, and Renee Eich pose for a portrait in the River Drifters Bar & Grill.