Blue Moose Burgers & Wings — Restaurant in Gatlinburg

Okay, this isn’t your typical review—so buckle up.

My husband, our toddler, and I stopped by on our way out of town after I saw the mouthwatering burgers online (and I’m a sucker for good wings). We checked in at 7:22 PM on 6/8, and the hostess told us the wait would be about 30 minutes. No big deal—we weren’t in a rush to hit the road.

As more guests arrived, we noticed the hostess began turning people away, saying they were at capacity. We watched as patrons finished up and left, but our wait stretched longer… and longer. Again, we weren’t in a hurry, but keeping a toddler entertained for that long is a full-time job in itself.

Finally, after about an hour, a manager came out and explained the situation. The restaurant had only opened two weeks prior, the staff had been working nonstop, and they were overwhelmed. They’d made the decision to serve the remaining guests and then close early for the night so the team could rest.

Some people around us looked annoyed—but honestly, I was moved. What I saw was a manager standing up for his team, listening to them, and choosing their well-being over profit. That kind of leadership is rare these days, and it spoke volumes.

We chose to stay, and when we were seated, our server was warm, welcoming, and even chatted with my husband about racing. Despite knowing they were closing early, we never felt rushed.

Now let’s talk food—because wow. After that announcement, I was expecting slower service and maybe a hit-or-miss meal, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Everything was delicious. I had a cheeseburger, fries, and 4 wings for just $17.99—which is a steal compared to back home in NC, where a meal like that runs around $25.99. My husband’s chicken tenders and fries hit the spot too.

I wanted to leave this review not just because the food was great—but because the experience reminded me of the humanity behind the scenes. The manager’s humility, the care for the staff, and the quality of the service and food made it unforgettable.

If I were a Tennessee local, this would be a weekly stop. No doubt we’ll be back next time...

If they could get the service/hospitality part down, this would absolutely be a 5 star review. But starting from the jump, we had to initiate conversation/getting on the wait list with the young men and woman at the front desk. He literally stood there and just looked at people as they came in - no "Hey, how are you?" Or "How many people?". Just standing there. We were told a 15 minute wait, which actually ended up being over 30 minutes. There was maybe 2 seats to sit on, on the inside and one standard bench on the outside while we waited. It was not a rush period we walked in on either - it was about 3:30pm in the afternoon on a Sunday. While waiting, my spouse went to the bar to get a drink. He said it was an odd experience: bar tender appeared afraid to talk to anyone and after multiple attempts of trying to flag her down, he then asked another guest if he was invisible - that guest laughed and said "no, but you've got to really YELL at the bartender" to get her attention. So husband said he had to really make a spectacle to grab her attention to get a drink order. The food was fantastic, once seated, and all the drinks were yummy. Burgers are delicious on the brioche buns and the wings were superb. Waitress was slow - dropped the check, added one drink to it and it took over 25+ minutes for her to realize she hadn't brought the check back. Husband at this point had already ran the check up to the bar to pay, which then the bartender didn't want to ring him up/cash him out, despite telling her he'd been waiting over 25 minutes for our waitress to return back to the table. All around great food but the service lacked, severely. It was almost a 3 hour dining process (3:30pm arrival to 5:45pm departure) in a...

4.5 is the current rating at the time of this review.

This location is busy, it’s got curb appeal and their menu is displayed outside for passerby’s. The staff here are friendly and there’s plenty of seating available. We did have a 30 minute wait so we walked around a bit, you may want to call ahead for reservations, if they take them.

The chips and salsa with avocados tasted good, I would recommend those.

In my party, there were 4 adults and 6 kids between the ages of 11-16. Three adults tried the wings, honey bbq, sriracha and I’m not sure what the 3rd kind was.

After everyone finished eating, I asked that they rate the wings. They all gave them mid-level scores and said they wouldn’t likely order them again, but would try something different from the menu. When asked why, majority stated it was due to the skin. Most enjoy a crispier skin instead of soft. I did agree with that as well.

The service was good, our waiter was attentive and kind. The atmosphere is family friendly.

There is a small bar located inside. The bathroom is a single stall as well; lines for both were about 3 deep usually.

For me, there wasn’t much on the menu that appealed to me and the wings fell short. Therefore, I would likely not return to this restaurant. As always, I wish them and their...