Get All Access for $5/mo

Paula Deen Starts Her Comeback With a Family-Style Restaurant Near Dollywood Hoping to rebuild her badly tarnished career, the former Food Network star is opening a massive eatery in a tourist town in Tennessee.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Paula Deen and Dolly Parton don't have much in common on first glance -- other than some seriously big hair -- but they are about to be business neighbors.

Deen's holding company, Paula Deen Ventures, said this week that its first business would be a restaurant called Paula Deen's Family Kitchen. The expansive family-friendly establishment will be 20,000 square feet and will have a yearly operating budget of nearly $20 million, according to a statement from the Savannah, Ga.-based holding company.

Paula Deen's Family Kitchen will be located in in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and will be part of the restaurant and retail real-estate project called The Island in Pigeon Forge, nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and home to the Dollywood theme park. Deen's new eatery is expected to open at the end of the summer.

Earlier this month, Arizona-based private equity firm Najafi Companies invested between $75 million and $100 million into Deen's holding company. Deen's brand was badly smeared by her confession to having used the racial slur, the N-word and having fantasized about having a plantation-style wedding with an all-black wait staff.

Related: Paula Deen Is Cooking Up a Comeback

Her blunder, and subsequent apologies, did not deter the Savannah-Ga.-based chef and television personality's devoted following.

"We know that sharing Paula's love and hospitality with her beloved fans and friends will be a great addition to our new development in Pigeon Forge," said Darby Campbell, one of the developers of the development project, in the statement. Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Hotel and Build-A-Bear will also be part of the development.

Pigeon Forge is a heavily trafficked tourist area with more than 10 million visitors a year and 2.5 million overnighters.

"This restaurant and retail expansion is a 'sweet spot' for Paula Deen Ventures," says Steven Nanula, the CEO of Paula Deen Ventures. Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady & Sons, which she founded with her sons Jamie and Bobby Deen, is still a hot spot in Savannah. This year marks the 25th anniversary of that restaurant.

Deen's thick Southern accent and passion for all things fried, buttered and fried again are the foundation of the brand that launched her career. She has sold 8 million copies of her 14 cookbooks.

Related: How A&E Ducked the Duck Dynasty Controversy

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

Apple Reportedly Isn't Paying OpenAI to Use ChatGPT in iPhones

The next big iPhone update brings ChatGPT directly to Apple devices.

Business News

Sony Pictures Entertainment Purchases Struggling, Cult-Favorite Movie Theater Chain

Alamo Drafthouse originally emerged from bankruptcy in June 2021.

Marketing

Are Your Business's Local Listings Accurate and Up-to-Date? Here Are the Consequences You Could Face If Not.

Why accurate local listings are crucial for business success — and how to avoid the pitfalls of outdated information.

Growing a Business

He Immigrated to the U.S. and Got a Job at McDonald's — Then His Aversion to Being 'Too Comfortable' Led to a Fast-Growing Company That's Hard to Miss

Voyo Popovic launched his moving and storage company in 2018 — and he's been innovating in the industry ever since.

Money & Finance

Day Traders Often Ignore This One Topic At Their Peril

Boring things — like taxes — can sometimes be highly profitable.

Productivity

Want to Be More Productive Than Ever? Treat Your Personal Life Like a Work Project.

It pays to emphasize efficiency and efficacy when managing personal time.