Calhoun's — Restaurant in Knoxville

Ordered a Southern Salad online before the restaurant opened for a noon curbside pickup. Arrived at the restaurant a couple of minutes past noon. Waited for several minutes and no employee came out. There was one car in front of me with no one in it. So I called the restaurant, gave them my name and they said a couple of minutes. An employee came out and delivered several bags to the car in front of me, stood and talked to that customer and got a hug. Looked at my car and went back inside. Eight minutes later the same employee exits and asks me my name. I asked for a manager. Manager brings my food. He stated they "were slammed with to-go orders". Let's evaluate that answer. There were about 20 cars parked in their lot - so not busy. At this point I had been waiting 15 minutes. There was one car in front of me and one car behind me the entire time - so not slammed.

I get it - a game day you can be busy. But giving me a canned and obvious non-true response is a non-starter. For a restaurant that's been around for decades, management should be better, service should be better and customers shouldn't be told such a blatant false truth. Either it wasn't staffed properly at lunch time on a Saturday or the management has no idea how to properly manage. But, hey, sorry for the wait and how about a free desert? Nah - I don't want to wait another 15 minutes in an effort to placate an upset customer.

Food was great as usual - after I reheated it since it had been waiting for so long.

Next time I want...

Our family stopped at Calhoun's in Knoxville on our way home from vacationing in Destin, FL. Believe me when I say that our family was so glad that we did! Everything about Calhoun's from the food, cleanliness, decor to the service was amazing and a great way to end our vacation! Upon arrival, we were welcomed by friendly hosts and immediately seated. Our server Colin was also pleasant and very patient with answering all of our questions about items on the menu! Everything we ordered exceeded our expectations and left us wanting more! If you like chicken wings, be sure to try the Smoked Wings with Thunder Road Sweet & Spicy Sauce! The wings were smoked with BBQ seasoning then chargrilled leaving the wings moist and flavorful! The signature Thunder Road Sweet & Spicy Sauce you can get to dip the wings in has a sweetness to it but not too sweet then you taste a little bit of a kick but not too much that you can't handle it. Just the right balance! The Spinach Maria, Tennessee Corn Pudding and Mac 'N Cheese were also to die for! Also, the Manager, Brian who came by to see how we were doing was very friendly! Before we hit the road, we needed something sweet to finish our meal so we tried the Macadamian Banana Pudding which hit the spot! We will definitely be back for more when we drive through Knoxville...

Our recent visit to Calhoun's in Knoxville was, unfortunately, a letdown from start to finish. We decided to try the ribs based on the waiter’s recommendation, and they turned out to be the worst ribs we’ve ever had—dry, bland, and completely lacking in flavor. Definitely not what we expected from a place known for BBQ.

The service didn’t help matters. Our waiter was overly pushy, asking if we were ready to order at least five times within a few minutes of handing us the menus—even though we politely asked for more time each time. It made us feel rushed and uncomfortable.

We were also surprised by how inconsistently the staff handled children's drinks. Our kids were served huge open glass cups of milk, which felt unsafe and impractical for young kids. Meanwhile, the table next to us had a much more thoughtful server who brought foam cups with lids for their kids. Why the inconsistency?

To top it all off, barely 5–10 minutes after the food was served, our waiter came back to ask if we wanted a to-go box—as if he couldn’t wait to get us out of there. It all felt rushed, careless, and impersonal.

Sadly, we won’t be returning. There are far better dining options in Knoxville where you’ll get better food and...