Champy’s — Restaurant in East Ridge

(I love that you call me a "local guide"! I was just a hungry dude looking for a new place to try! Anyway...) Yesterday was my first visit to Champy's. The parking lot was almost full, but the interior did not feel at all crowded. Everyone was upbeat and helpful, and the moment I walked in I was struck with the fun vibe of the place. Our server, Trula, was charming, funny, and took very good care of us. She checked in with us at just the right intervals to keep our drinks full and needs met, and other servers around us appeared to do the same. Of course we had to try the fried chicken, which was tender and amazing. The cole slaw was delicious, and the baked beans had a variety of beans in it which set it apart from the rest. We will definitely be back to explore more of the menu! Highly recommended!

(One month later) I'm sorry to report that I took away a star. But we'll get to that in a minute.

The fried chicken, which we both had, continues to be amazing. Piping hot, juicy, tender, and perfectly cooked. The real standout this time was the hot-wings appetizer. On the recommendation of our charming server, Ashtynn, I tried the smoked wings with the "sweet heat" sauce. I'm a big believer in trying new things, but, my gosh, I'll be coming back to these probably every time! They were that good! Ashtynn was training a new server, Emma, and both were friendly, upbeat, and took very good care of us. Their cheerfulness felt natural, not forced, and made our exchanges very pleasant. They clearly enjoy their jobs, and made the meal that much better!

But now the bad news: for dessert we ordered the "Homemade Key Lime pie". I should've taken a picture of this, but what arrived was a very plain piece of pie in a clear plastic tub with a flip-top, like one would find in a supermarket, and a plastic spoon. Not even a plate with a metal fork? I'm not sure what they were going for here. I admit I have pretty high Key Lime pie standards, and this fell well short. There was no key lime slice, no whipped cream garnish, nor embellishments of any kind to set this "homemade" pie apart. It was a very mediocre ending to an otherwise delicious meal and fun experience. I get it: not many folks have room for dessert. But serve a spectacular dessert, and folks will leave room! I know I would! So sorry, but this cost you a star. Let's see what happens...

Champy’s Chicken saved a 💩show of a day. A long travel day with a few hiccups landed us about 2 miles down the road at a campground. Hadn’t eaten since 10am, hot and miserable, this place looked like a good place for an adult beverage…and by good place I mean the first place we saw that had a bar. Parking lot was packed and drive thru wrapped around the building but figured we could find a seat at the bar and at least drink while we waited. Walked in and were seated at a table within 3 mins! Server had drinks on the table within 5 mins. and a fried green tomato appetizer 5 mins later. While we were devouring the delicious and true to southern cooking tomatoes, our meals came out piping hot! The drinks: such a good pour we didn’t even need another one. The fried chicken: How is KFC or Popeyes still even in business kind of good! Maybe even better than Mamaw’s -God rest her soul- even though she would slap my jaws for even thinking they compared. The potato salad - recommended by the server: the best potato salad I’ve ever had and I’ve been to 789,249 church dinners on the grounds. A perfect mix of Mayo and mustard with a heavy dust of paprika on top. The coleslaw: fresh, crunchy cabbage, tangy and sweet dressing. The baked beans: Extra! They were the kind you want to eat around a campfire in Montana while on an over nighter pushing the cattle back to the ranch. Baked beans, kidney beans which gave it a meaty taste, bell peppers and hunks of fatty cooked bacon. The Green Beans - flat Italian style with a bacon grease floater, perfectly salty, and cooked just beyond crunchy and before mushy. The prices: HOW can a meal like that be served for $12?! Best bargain I’ve found that wasn’t on clearance at Nordstrom’s Rack. From the hostess, to the bartender, to the server, back to the kitchen where somebody’s Mamaw taught them the righteous path to a deep fryer…EXCELLENCE! Our tummies were so fully and tastebuds so happy that we forgot all about the previous 8 hours of...

This was my first visit to the new Champys in East Ridge and i left more disappointed than anything. First, they sat us in the very back in the section that is opened in warmer weather. It was a very cold night and they did have the big roll-up doors closed, but they sat us right next to a walk in door that was unlocked and was being used very frequently. Mind you, this was not a main entrance door. We asked our waitress if the door could be locked, she said, no because it was one of their entrance doors. Literally, we watched 2 groups of people walk in that BACK door and standing there for a couple of minutes waiting to be seated, wondering if they were in the right place before someone finally told them they needed to walk thru the Whole restaurant to the front to get to the Hostess station to be seated. It was miserable being seated by that door, on a very cold Night and it being opened every few seconds, especially after voicing our discomfort to the waitress.

My second complaint.....being charged a $4.50 surcharge for paying with my bank debit card!!!! FOUR DOLLARS AND 50 CENTS!!!!!! surcharge for using my bank debit card!!!!! We had a party of 4, my bill was $112., adding a $4.50 surcharge on top of that is pure greed and extortion. Fewer and fewer and fewer people carry and use cash these days, debit cards are the norm. Banks frown upon the businesses charging a fee to customers using cards. Businesses use the excuse of "recouping bank fees for using cards". As a former business owner who accepted credit cards, I know the fees charged by a bank Per Transaction is very very small, and no where close to $4.50 per transaction. Food was good, but overall, very disappointed...