Pal's Sudden Service — Restaurant in Elizabethton

This was my first time at Pals being from SC. My friends and I almost turned around when we saw it was drive-thru only, as we had a full car and didn't want to be rude. The staff was friendly and patient while we mildly panicked to choose our orders. Fortunately, the menu is small, so decision paralysis is easy to avoid. With 4 people in my car, we still got through in about 3 minutes, I could not believe how fast the service was. Nothing in our orders were incorrect as we unwrapped our food to dig in.

The atmosphere is amazing, from the iconic building design to the beauty of Elizabethton around. We parked our cars facing the hill on the back and sat in the grass and watched the baseball game in the distance. Small town USA, a slice of heaven on Earth. I ordered the big double burger with cheese. I had been camping the past 24 hours out at Lake Watauga. This burger nearly made me cry tears of joy. It was so good I was choking from eating it so fast and had to slow down. The veggie toppings were perfectly proportioned, the cheese was delicious and melted, and the bun was soft and warm but not soggy. I can easily say this is THE BEST fast-food burger I have ever had. The fries were great too, thin and seasoned, almost too hot at first allowing me to focus on the burger. I loved the orange shake too and my vegetarian friends enjoyed their cheese sandwich. If I had the opportunity I would have come here for breakfast too, lord only knows how good that will be.

I heard a rumor that the reason Pal's does not expand further is because the owner likes to be able to drive to each location to ensure quality. This is clearly for the greater good. Trust me when I say that it makes me genuinely depressed knowing I can't come here more often. Maybe Johnson City will get a new transplant soon... seriously considering right now.

Side warning: If you get a burger, make sure to ask for it with cheese specifically. At Pal's, the cheese is not implied when you order. I think this may be a thing in different regions of the south because Cook Out is the same way. Some people assume burgers come with cheese and I kind of felt sorry for those in my group who didn't realize, because the cheese really was a huge component to how much I...

Terrible evening at the Pals Elizabethton. Ordered Chicken Melts and 1 Chicken Sandwich some fries and 3 large drinks. The girl taking the order never repeated half the items out loud, so when we got around to pay we ask the cashier to repeat the order, she couldn't speak loud enough to even hear her. Cost us $32.00 and we didn't get what we ordered. Obviously neither girl knows they sell chicken melts (we even said it is what is on the sign out front) and chicken sandwiches which is what we received instead of the chicken melts. Diet Coke good Regular Cokes are flat. No need to go back thru the line was too long. We will give it one more chance but for $32 and not what I ordered....I can get that anywhere....and probably better service. We go to Pals weekly, will give it one more time, then if not ok, not going back. We should all be more picky about where we spend so much money on soooo...

I honestly don't understand how McDonald's and burger kings stay in business. The fries are crispy instead of the soggy mess you get at most fast food, on top of that they're seasoned. Then you get to the burger, for $3.99 you get a big pal. I'm not sure how much meat is in it, but I know it's more bang for your buck than everywhere else because I ate at Wendy's yesterday and payed a dollar more for my meal and got maybe half the meat.The staff is always pleasant to interact with even if they only see you for the 30 seconds it takes to get your food. The only complaint I have is that there's not one in my town, anyone leaving a review of less than 5 stars must either be competition or people who just want to see the world burn. Do yourself a favor and make it your fast...