Should You Visit The “Chain” Restaurants in The Smokies?

Ranking the regional “chain” restaurants in the Smokies

For years, I didn’t realize that lightning bugs were a regional thing. We grew up chasing them, catching them, keeping them in jars and releasing them at the end of the evening.

I thought it was a fairly universal experience. I mean, I didn’t expect Alaskans got a lot of lightning bugs nor did I consider whether they had fireflies in Soviet Russia or China or other parts of the world.

But, in the old US of A? I assumed lightning bugs were pretty much everywhere. I was an adult – or nearly so – when I made a friend from Oregon who was amazed to see the bugs light the Tennessee summer sky. It was – if you’ll forgive a slight pun or proximity – a light bulb moment.

In a similar fashion, I forget that many of the most popular chain restaurants in our area don’t have a nationwide reach. And if you’re coming from a place that doesn’t have a Mellow Mushroom or a Brick and Spoon, you don’t know what to expect.

We don’t often include the more ubiquitous chains in our rankings – we figure most of y’all understand what an Applebee’s is. With this in mind, we will not include “chains” that are localized only to East Tennessee. While Pal’s or Calhoun’s or even a place like Blue Moose might have multiple locations across East Tennessee, we don’t feel like that qualifies for this exercise. To make this list, the chain must have a multi-state presence but not be so ubiquitous that everyone knows what it is.

So, read on to see where our rankings stand.

1. The Melting Pot

It’s fondue, baby. Start by dipping things in melted cheese. End by dipping things in melted chocolate. In between, have a variety of small bits that you cook in either oil or a delicious broth. It’s perfect date night meal or great for a meal, drinks and lively conversation with friends. We have enjoyed dining there. The Melting Pot is located at 959 Parkway #2, in Gatlinburg. Follow their website here.

2. Mellow Mushroom

With roots that reach back more than 50 years to Atlanta, I first became acquainted with the Mellow Mushroom while I was a college student in Knoxville. The Mellow Mushroom – with 160ish locations over 18 states – are locally owned and operated. While I haven’t visited all 160, everyone I’ve ever been to maintains a consistent high quality and a nice hippie vibe. The sandwiches are good, the stone-baked pizzas and calzones are fantastic with a nice variety of what I consider niche options.

It’s not your typical pizza chain. I’m a huge fan because their vegan options allow my son – who has a variety of food allergies – to have pizza like his friends. And, having tried his vegan cheese pizza, I have to say it was good. For myself? I like the Pacific Rim – mozzarella, honey ham, applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onion, pineapple, and jalapenos, but they have more traditional options as well.

There are three locations in the Smokies. Pigeon Forge locations are 151 Island Dr. and 2485 Parkway. The Gatlinburg location is 903 Parkway, Set 103. Follow the website here.

3. Brick & Spoon

A self-described upscale breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, Brick & Spoon entered a very competitive market in the Smokies. While it’s clear, they want to bring the classic brunch style of the Deep South to the mountains, it’s a bold niche to try and carve out.

That said, the Brick & Spoon is excellent. I’m a fan of the breakfast tacos flour tortilla, chorizo scrambled eggs, romaine, sour cream, mango salsa & Monterey jack cheese. However, there are plenty of options with flavors based in Mississippi, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. The Brick & Spoon has 9 or so locations, mostly spread about the Gulf in Alabama, and Mississippi but there are outlier locations in Texas City, Texas, Orlando, Florida and also Pigeon Forge. Find the Brick & Spoon at 136 Community Center Dr. in Pigeon Forge. Follow their website here.

4. Corky’s Ribs & BBQ

This BBQ chain barely qualifies with locations from Little Rock, Arkansas into Mississippi and across Tennessee, with the Pigeon Forge location. And while we are loathe to recommend chain-restaurant BBQ in a place filled with great local options, we have to admit that for Corky’s to survive in places like Memphis and Little Rock and Pigeon Forge, the BBQ must be pretty good.

Corky’s brings its Memphis style to the mountains, and the family packs make for excellent picnicking with a family order of pulled pork and side of fried okra. There are a lot of BBQ options in the mountains, and we’d understand why you’d look for something a little more “local.” But this Memphis based chain is worth your attention. Corky’s is located at 3584 Parkway in Pigeon Forge. Follow their website here.

5. Bubba Gump Shrimp

I remain perplexed by the success of Bubba Gump. I like the movie. Always have. Actually, I watched it again the other day. But someone, somewhere at sometime watched that same movie and said to themselves, “I’m gonna license the rights and build restaurants, placing them in tourist towns all over the world.” There are Bubba Gump restaurants in Japan, China, Indonesia, and Qatar.

That is the wildest thing to me. Like, I get the Hard Rock obsession, they’re small Rock and Roll Museums that sell hamburgers and nachos and beer. But is anyone so obsessed with Forrest Gump that a Gump themed restaurant is a draw? Who is it in Hong Kong that wanders into the local Bubba Gump and orders Mama Gump’s Garlic Bread Basket and chases it down with Lt. Dan’s Prok Ribs & Shrimp. You almost have to do it, I suppose, for the curiosity alone. The food itself is fine, good even. But the surrealism of the whole thing is part of the draw.

Bubba Gump is located at 900 Parkway, Gatlinburg. The website can be found here.

6. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen

I include this here, not because it’s necessarily one you should visit. But it is one I don’t think as many visitors are going to be familiar with and thus deserves an explanation. Three are 187 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchens in 27 states, including 55 in Texas. Cheddar’s was founded in 1979 but it only made it onto my radar a couple of years ago.

Cheddar’s is good. It’s filling the role left behind by the fading O’Charley’s and the all but dead Ruby Tuesday’s. But it’s probably a little better than either of those, definitely above Applebee’s but maybe not quite as high as Texas Roadhouse. I’m not the biggest Texas Roadhouse fan, but still.

Cheddar’s a like Chili’s with a more down-home flair. Burgers, pasta, chicken and a little seafood and steak. You could probably walk in cold, never having heard of the place and guess 90% of the menu. Honestly, in Pigeon Forge and the mountains, you’d be better off going to any of a dozen more local places that serve a similar – but more interesting – version of the classic American restaurant menu. Cheddars is located at 3240 Parkway in Pigeon Forge. Follow the website here.

Do you have a favorite chain restaurant? Let us know in the comments!