These Are the 5 Best Foods and Snacks To Try at Pal’s Sudden Service

East Tennessee local shares list of best food and snacks at Pal’s Sudden Service

Pal’s Sudden Service – the regional fast-food chain in Northeast Tennessee with a cult-like following – is an institution for some and a total mystery to others. It was founded on an ideal of rapid service – hence the name. There’s a fairly basic menu with better ingredients than most national chains. Yes, Pal’s burgers do have grease. The chain with its unusual architecture is growing its footprint and also gaining national attention. That means Pal’s is getting close to the Smokies. So, what do you, a Pal’s neophyte exploring the region, choose for your first Pal’s experience? Reader, I’m are here to help.

Pal’s Sudden Service is a regional fast-food chain beloved in Northeast Tennessee. For years the public has been clamoring for Pal’s to move south into Sevier County and beyond. With locations in Jefferson, Hamblen, Hawkins and Greene counties (and also several Virginia locations) Pal’s is now on the cusp of the Smokies.

The best menu items at Pal’s

1. Cheddar Rounds

Friends, we are starting with some controversy at the top. There is a schism among Pal’s devotees. For instance, some recognize the Cheddar Round as the peak of culinary fast-foot achievement and some are wrong. Cheddar rounds are tater tots injected with molten lava-style cheddar cheese. They are snackable. They don’t need any condiments. I think they should be available 24/7 and not just for breakfast.

Not for nothing, but the rest of the Pal’s breakfast feels like it’s in development. The biscuits and gravy are OK, but the rest of the breakfast biscuits are just some kind of meat – sausage, bacon, country ham – on a biscuit. They need a little something like egg or cheese to combat the dry nature of the biscuit. I don’t want to get into secret menu territory, but a splash of gravy on your sausage biscuit is a difference-maker.

2. The Big Pal

Pal’s has a classic burger with mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. You may be tempted to go for the Double Big Pal, but I think the extra meat throws the ratios off a bit. Stick with the classics. This can be ordered with cheese or bacon also.

3. The Frenchie Fry

These are golden brown shoestring potatoes with more than a dash of “special” seasoning salt. What’s special about the seasoning salt? I think it’s probably just the paprika-looking seasoning salt you get at the store, but let’s not quibble. If McDonald’s can call Thousand Island dressing “special sauce” then Pal’s can have a special seasoning salt. 

4. Peachie Tea

Pal’s makes sweet tea in a way that angers the British. It’s super sweet and comes in a massive cup of ice. The key – however – is the peach flavoring that gives it just a little extra taste of the American South. Peachie tea should be the official drink of freedom. There’s also Razzie Tea – made with raspberry flavorings – but I think it is inferior to Peachie Tea.

5. Sauce burger

I’ll get more into this in a bit, but part of the reason Pal’s is beloved is that there’s a strange mid-scientist-at-work vibe to the menu. Say hello to the Sauce Burger. It’s a Pal’s patty soaked in Pal’s Famous Sauce – which is akin to a mildly spicy ketchup and served on a bun. You can add stuff like cheese or bacon to it, but you shouldn’t. It’s already perfection.

Honorable mentions

The Pal’s menu is odd.

Pal Barger – who founded the company in 1956 – was an odd man. In addition to the usual fast-food staples, old Pal or his descendants committed a certain peculiarity in their menu. In addition to out-of-the-ordinary seasonal choices like the chicken cheesesteak which looks like a crime against humanity, there are menu items that make you believe somewhere Pal got a good deal on random surplus items like chipped ham and decided to throw it on the menu.

Other times, it’s time it’s like Pal’s is being strange just to be strange. Does Pal’s serve a chili dog without the dog? Yes. It’s called a Chilibun and is listed on the menu under hot dogs despite a decided lack of a hot dog. Does Pal’s sell a grilled cheese with lettuce and tomato on an inverted hamburger bun? Yes, but why is the bun inverted? I suppose it is to save money on having to order bread. Does Pal’s have a sandwich called the Big Chicken? Yes, it’s shaved chicken deli meat. So, does Pal’s have any sort of grilled chicken? Aside from seasonal, occasional specials, nope. They just have the sliced deli chicken.

So, Pal’s Sudden Service is a Northeast Tennessee institution. With its signature bright blue building that looks like a Lego block covered in fast food items, Pal’s is a classic but somehow unique take on classic burger grill dining. If, when you travel, you want to try pieces of local flavor, Pal’s is worth the drive to Jefferson County or beyond.

Have you visited Pal’s Sudden Service? What is your favorite menu item? Let us know in the comments.