Wendy's — Restaurant in Knoxville

The interior of the restaurant was like walking into a nightmare, as if a designer was half finished with a project and turned in the plans anyway and no one noticed. Strange walls stand only a portion of the way to an unfinished ceiling. Walls and counters seem to flow through the building with no ryhme or reason. My usual fast food expectations were subverted as the ordering process seemed to be designed to be as confusing, inefficient, and anxiety inducing as possible. As I clicked through the order kiosk with no visible menu available to me I was paralyzed by an overwhelming amount of choices, as if I was being asked to play a piano with infinite keys. How did the Mortys Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich differ from the other Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich? And what of item modifications? I had never dreamed of eating a burger with four different kinds of cheese on it, but now it seemed like a real possibility. Was the Wild Mountain Burger hiding somewhere within this electric menu, forgotten by all but me and the ghost in the machine? Would I find it without going mad? A very friendly woman came over to ask if I needed assistance, like a guiding Valkerie leading the way across the Rainbow Bridge to Valhalla. I denied any assistance (foolishly) and continued bending the machine to my will, or perhaps it was bending me to its will. Maybe my will was walking its way and its will was walking mine, in the old ways of Diamond Rio. Eventually, I settled on a hot honey medium grilled chicken combo. Then I was baffled about where exactly I was supposed to wait for it. A counter with chairs next to the pick up existed, but it was covered in items which I assume belonged to the staff. A man was asleep in the corner with a video game controller and a lighter in front of him, adding to the overall weirdness and mystery of the restaurant. Was I still asleep? Am I in his dream or is he in mine? Is any of this real? As I received my food I noticed tiny spot lights on the open unfinished ceiling. They shone their light on mottos I did not read, but I was intrigued by their presence. Someone had planned this madness. I was traversing a vision which should have never come to pass. The food itself was palatable, but unremarkable when compared to the environment housing it. The sandwich just kind of tasted like dill. The fries were a little soggy. I watched fellow patrons struggle with the ordering kiosk. Another friendly employee came out to clean the tables with sanitizer solution and a towel. I got up to wash my hands, too much hot honey had gotten my hands sticky. A lit sink sat at the end of a hall in the dining room. Had my desire to wash my hands created the sink? The floor was slick. Extremely slick. An extreme sport could have been of it. I wondered if whomever had mopped the floor had forgotten to dilute the floor cleaner with water. I finally reached the end of the hallway and soaped my hands. The paper towel dispenser was empty and there was no obvious way to open it. A roll of towels laid next to the sink, but when I tried to grab it the automatic soap dispenser shot more soap all over my hands and I had to wash them again, starting a cycle which could go on forever, if I allowed it. I dried my hands on the back of my pants, a small amount of dignity to surrender to end this facade. I refilled my cherry coke and went on my way, unsure if this is what going mad feels like. I suggest everyone go here, to my new...

This morning I went there to get breakfast. I've been to this location several times and the food as well as the service has been pretty good. I will say when the location was down next to the new Amazon the service was 10 times better. This morning in particular I ordered a maple chicken breakfast sandwich, two small potato wedges and a medium strawberry lemonade which is what I always order. They have a promotion going that if you order a breakfast sandwich any drink, of any size is free. I noticed she charged for the drink and never took it off apparently. When I got to the first window I told the guy the drink was supposed to be free, he said oh yeah and went to get the girl who took my order. She came back carrying my bag of food which was closed by the way. She then blamed the entire mistake on me by saying I was supposed to tell them I wanted my drink free???? Who would not want their drink free and I've never had to say anything. After she couldn't fix the issue, she got the manager who fixed the total. Then when I got to the second window she handed me my bag which was then crumpled and open telling me she added ketchup. Then handed me a small drink vs the medium I ordered. I was too frustrated to say anything so I drove off. I looked for the ketchup she used as an excuse for why she had my bag opened back up and big shocker there was none. Basically I'm assuming she did something to my food and since I was giving some of the lemonade and a bag of the wedges to my toddler I wasn't taking any chances, so I threw it all away. I lost almost $8 for no food, no free promotional drink and wasted time. The manager needs to make sure the employees who run the drive thru are all trained and don't blame the customers for their mistakes! I won't be returning to...

There have been some issues with the last two orders. One pick up and one drive through. On both occasions, the fries and burgers were cold. The chili was missing its toppings. My wife's burger had ketchup instead of mayo, despite our request for the opposite. A young employee at the fry station was not wearing gloves and was touching everything. Another older employee, who also wasn't wearing gloves, appeared to be under the influence of something and was touching everything as well. I had to repeat my order three times to him as he stared at the screen. I had a $5 coupon in the app, but the employee at the first window was unfamiliar with it and directed me to the second window. The manager there also seemed unsure of how to handle the coupon and had a rather dismissive attitude. She offered a $3 discount, and when I expressed my disappointment, she suggested that I could simply leave. Given that my wife and I were hungry, we reluctantly accepted the $3 discount instead of the $5 coupon. This situation feels like false advertising. Things had improved after the restaurant's remodel, but the recent decline in employee performance has been disheartening. As residents living nearby, my wife and I had hoped to become regular customers, but unfortunately, we will now be choosing Arby's instead. Their food is consistently hot, fresh, and accurate, and their staff is always professional...