The Peddler in Gatlinburg is a historic cabin turned famous steakhouse, and it has a cult-like following
It’s Gatlinburg and it is 1958. Less than twenty years after FDR dedicated the National Park just up the road at the Rockefeller Memorial in Newfound Gap, the public is still deep in America’s obsession with the Smoky Mountains and its people.
It’s post-war America. The population is boomin’. Thanks, at least in part to the GI Act, America’s workforce is well-compensated and blessed with more disposable income than at any time in American history. They’ve got cars and the beginnings of a highway system that makes a family vacation a viable thing.
In Gatlinburg, the people of the charming mountain village have been morphing their business ventures into things that cater to tourists. By 1958, the forward momentum of the tourism-dominated Gatlinburg economy is nearly unstoppable.
It was in this world that Earl Ogle – yes, one of THOSE Ogles – and his wife Beth, built their dream home, a log cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon, not far from the entrance to the National Park.
IN THIS ARTICLE
The historic Peddler restaurant in Gatlinburg
Earl was an American success story and Gatlinburg royalty. The son of Charles Austin Ogle and Hattie Mae Maples, Earl represented another in a long line of connections between two of Gatlinburg’s founding families.
Today, the family log cabin that Earl built isn’t a residence at all. It’s one of the best-known and beloved restaurants in town and probably East Tennessee. But is it the best? It depends on who you ask. As Earl’s cabin is known today, the Peddler Steakhouse has its devotees. However, others swear by the Greenbrier or Chesapeakes. But The Peddler is often ranked near the top of the best restaurants in town.
How did a cabin become a restaurant?
So how did Earl’s dream cabin become one of the best restaurants in East Tennessee? Well, Earl – a fourth-generation Gatlinburg merchant – knew the value of real estate. We also know the old saying about location. There’s a reason there aren’t many people living on or near the strip in Gatlinburg. There’s more value in housing, feeding, entertaining or selling to tourists in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg than living there.
Steaks Sophisticated, the Peddler’s franchisee, acquired the cabin from Early and his family. There were some renovations done, and the restaurant opened in 1976. In 1978, Geoffrey Wolpert came to Gatlinburg to train as a manager. The training went so well that he was named general manager in 1979 and acquired the restaurant outright in 1985. Wolpert – who remains general manager – opened the Park Grill in July of 1995 – and remains a giant of the Gatlinburg culinary scene.
What’s on the menu?
The Peddler is certainly one of the finest steakhouses in the region. Grilled over “real Tennessee hickory charcoal,” the steaks can be cut to order right there at the table. They are fantastic.
If you’re not in the mood for steak, the Peddler offers a variety of chicken or seafood dishes as you would expect. Don’t pass up a chance at the Peddler salad bar. They bill it as “world-famous,” and while I doubt the residents of Brisbane are spending much time pondering the wonder that is the Peddler salad bar, it is quite good.
Hours and location
You can find the former house of Earl and Beth on River Road, not far from the intersection with the strip and not far from the entrance to the park. In another timeline, it really would have been a cool place to have a house. But since Gatlinburg developed as it did, it would be weird living there surrounded by parking lots and hotels and the like.
The address is 820 River Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. The restaurant opens daily at 5 pm and at 4:30 pm on Saturdays. The restaurant takes reservations until 9 pm daily and until 9:45 pm on Saturdays. Hours are subject to change.
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