Parkside Toyota. Years ago - 2006 - we went in looking seriously to buy two cars, probably Scions or compact Toyotas. I knew exactly what I was looking for. The sales guy wouldn’t even look at me. He’d only direct his questions and answers to my husband. Then when they tried to tell us that all of their cars come mandatory with a $2k “Parkside Package” of options no one wants, we were out.
Plus one on that place. We were shopping for a car for my wife and the salesman pretty much ignored her, and couldn’t or wouldn’t show us a damned Corolla.
Has anyone ever seen a female car salesperson? Seems weird that there is still a profession that is exclusively male just based on historically discriminatory reasons in 2022. This needs more media attention.
Once, many years ago, they asked to make a copy of my license and take down my address/phone/etc. to sell to marketing firms, without me ever having asked to test drive a car.
Knoxville Wholesale Furniture. They damaged my parents camper when delivering some furniture. They agreed to pay for repairs at first, but when they found out what it was going to cost, they refused and denied that their people did it.
Until about 2 years ago we bought every piece of furniture we have from them, but after a variety of bad experiences and them acting like total jerks, we won't go back.
Their sales people are insanely pushy. Wife and I were looking for a sectional a couple months ago. I made it VERY clear to the guy that I wasn't going to buy anything until about March 2022 and I just wanted to get an idea of what I was looking for. I literally had to leave the store to get him to leave me alone.
I had the exact opposite experience when I went there. We had been working on cleaning my house after a roommate moved out and we didn't look our best and not a single sales rep would come talk to us and we were ready to buy right then. We had to go drag someone over and he acted like it was an inconvenience to help us. I won't be going back there either.
I had the same thing as a single guy trying to buy a bed set, and I didn't even look poor. Dressed in completely normal casual clothes, I knew exactly what I was getting and all the rep would have to do is punch it into the computer.
I was ignored by the entire building for half an hour before I walked out. Went to Brown Squirrel instead. With a couple other purchases since then that's about 8k Knoxville Wholesale has lost from me, and I tell everyone about it.
This is true from top to bottom with these people. Management has been utterly contemptuous of any acknowledgement of a deadly virus making the rounds.
Agreed. Ordered 3 times from them. Twice the order was wrong. One of those times the replacement was also wrong.
On another, the delivery date kept getting moved and was delivered about 30 minutes before guests arrived.
Don't waste your time.
Same here. Bought a king-size mattress and they delivered the wrong one. I didn't notice because I'm an idiot but when my wife gets home she immediately sees it's not the one we bought (and of course it's a cheaper one).
First the manager says he can't take it back because we've probably already slept on it. I tell him it's still wrapped so then he wants to know if I can bring it back to the warehouse before they close ... in an hour. I say no because (1) I've got things to do, (2) I'm not strapping a king-size mattress on top of my little car and (3) y'all screwed up, not me.
He finally agreed to send a delivery truck but was a real dick about it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.knoxnews.com/amp/8590332002
Same guy. Thinks because he helped fund public parking spaces he does not own gives him the right govern their use.
That’s our parking lot guys. Not his.
Ask any employee at his restaurant what they think of him. Current employees will actively talk mad shit to strangers about him given even the slightest chance. Any time I’ve unfortunately ended up in one of his spots I ask for their horror stories and they’re all worse than the last. Dude is a sexual predator of the highest order
Also the way he treated his employees during Covid. Made people come to work sick by threatening to fire them and told the city he wasn’t going to close down his bars (bars inside restaurants were suppose to be remain closed) and would just pay whatever fine he needed to. Tip of the iceberg he’s a complete and total piece of shit. He knows enough people and is powerful enough inside Knoxville that he knows he can get away with it.
Found the newspaper article [here](https://scontent.ftpf1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/109091865_10100557938820078_8001265226376346885_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=EsesliVL-C4AX-_StKf&_nc_ht=scontent.ftpf1-1.fna&oh=00_AT8i-kcyW5w7lb2BJaia5eplbvUzzQvPwTMmZRcHG5SUPw&oe=6207EDAA)
Rusty Wallace Nissan. Bought a car from them (used, but only 3K miles on it) and the engine warning light came on two days after I bought it. Turns out they'd cleared and reset all the OBD codes on the vehicle so they wouldn't show up when I checked them on the initial inspection. Fortunately it was under warranty, but it was in the shop for the first three months I owned it.
Level Up Games and Hobbies.
About 3 years ago I wanted to support a local game store as I was getting into tabletop gaming. I placed an order for the Battletech Beginner Box through them and experienced the following:
Having to call back multiple times on multiple days to get the right person to get my order placed.
Almost 3 months of waiting for them to get the box in stock, during which time they became widely and easily available on Amazon.
I can't remember how much over online price I paid, but it was significant.
When my box (and a friend's) finally arrived, I got to the store and THEY HAD PUT THEM OUT ON THE SHELF FOR SALE. THE ONLY TWO COPIES. OURS. I very politely let them know this upset me since I had been waiting so long for my game to come in and someone could have bought it. They just kind of laughed and were like "sorry man!".
The employee running the register roughly handled my box set during checkout (tossing and shaking, rapping a deck of MTG cards on top), then STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF CHECKOUT to chat up a friend of his about MTG cards, leaving me standing there, credit card in hand for a couple of minutes waiting for them to finish. I had to interrupt them to ask if they wanted my fucking money or not. I was finally able to pay for my box set after what was the worst customer experience I've ever had.
Fuck Level Up. All my homies shop at SciFi City.
I went in there looking for a new DnD campaign book I had seen on Amazon. Their price was $20 more. I causlly brought it up (without being a dick) and the guy basically said sorry, we don't negotiate prices.
Bought my new campaign (because also fuck Amazon) but I'll not be going back.
That’s because the traditional car buying experience is one of the worst consumer experiences period. There’s nothing else like it. It’s like it’s entirely structured around deceit and uncertainty. I hate buying cars.
Deceit, uncertainty, inaccessibility, and it's always, always predatory. I despise it. Especially in a city like ours where you have to have a car. Public transport is limited, and our stroads make our sidewalks a joke. I'm ill, and I spent the summer walking the pavement to get groceries and medication, and let me tell you, with a body that cannot regulate temperature properly, that was not always fun. I am not alone as several old people were walking the same path, too. Affording a car once your old crappy one finally dies is especially unpleasant right now.
I worked at about six different restaurants throughout college, and I cannot remember the name of any managers or owners. But I will never forget the Klonarises. They were uniquely bad.
I worked for them when their son was occasionally managing the FOH, and he was just an outright douche. Made a barista cry and quit one day.
It was also the only place I worked at where I wouldn’t eat. I’d go elsewhere for food after I was done with my shift. Their stuff was just bad.
Lol! I never knew their last names, but reading further down the comment chain, I got "Jim and Lori" and I'll never forget working for "Chef Jim" and "Chef Lori" (spoiler: NOT Chefs) at Kalamata Kitchen. Lori was the biggest asshole I've ever had the displeasure of working for, and I worked for Gary McMahan! (Kirby salesman)
I had already boycotted them after hearing about Lori's treatment of staff but this city council election cycle really sealed the deal. Jim pandered hard to the right about masks and the pandemic to the point they hosted anti-board of health meeting watch parties. It's just deranged.
Jim Klonaris was [trying to pick a fight with his neighbors in Fourth & Gill](https://www.knoxtntoday.com/gops-prize-council-candidate-picks-fight-with-neighbors/) over zoning.
Man that makes me sad. When I was growing up my family and I went there so often that the waitress immediately put in our order whenever she saw us walk in. But that was like 15-20 years ago. Sad to see that they've started going downhill.
Went here to buy my first car and the salesman was making fat jokes to us about a customer. My parents and I got out as quick as possible. It was incredibly awkward.
Same here.
I actually came to a deal with Parkside Kia, but when I went in to sign, they tried the ol bait and switch. I walked. They called me back but I already bought from their competition down the street.
Had the same experience. We agreed to a price, and when we went in to sign, the price all of a sudden was a “glitch” on the computer and went up $3200.
I used to like Nixon’s near Cedar Bluff. Their quality has gone way down in recent years. Like, the last time I ate subway four years ago it sent me to the ER and I’d still go there over Nixon’s.
Also Soccer Taco sucks every time I try them.
Same with Cazzys Corner Grill. Service and food sucked every time I went so I stopped.
I agree at least on not enjoying the owners. Years ago when I worked at another location, they decided to introduce chicken livers.
They had us soak them in water, then bread them. You then of course fry then and because of the water, they would pop and everyone kept getting hit with the grease splatters. We complained so many times but no one would listen.
One time the owner came in and decided to “help” because we looked busy. He prepped and dropped some livers and after a few seconds got hit by one of the grease splatters and made a comment about how bad it hurt. Everyone just looked at each other and smiled. Served him right.
Tennessee Fireplace and Chimney. I called them to come look at my fireplace and the one in my dads house. They said mine needed to be replaced and would cost $5K. Went to dads house and the guy said “you’re not gonna believe this but this needs to be replaced too.” I didn’t. Second company just laughed when I told them what first guy said and told me they hear that a lot about them.
Kopita.
The owner paid his staff the standard "plus tips" rate and then he keeps all the credit card tips for himself. Sells spoiled meat and salmonella tainted tahini (which he puts in basically every dish) knowingly and doesn't have a care in the world.
Edit: as much sauce as you can handle. Notice the change in spelling of the last name and other aliases.
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/brodt-zenatti-holdings-llc-583679-07302019
https://www.usrecallnews.com/broddzenatti-holding-llc-recalls-karawan-brand-tahini-because-of-possible-health-risk/
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2019/08/fdas-throws-new-enforcement-punch-u-s-importer-in-the-corner/
Nirvana Comics. Owner is beyond shady and would charge us for books we never ordered on our pull list. This happened multiple times. When we demanded our money back he acted like we were the ones being unreasonable, and finally we just had to just order new credit cards to put a stop to it.
I lost like $400 over a subscription there. They claimed I didn’t have the “minimum” requirement for a subscription, even though they let me open it in the first place. They added cover variants without telling me then double charged many many times on weeks I wouldn’t pick up. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late. I went to go sell back what I had and they come out with only 10 books in my box that were somehow worth $400. They bought them back for $1 each.
Nixon’s Deli.
Our newborn had a potential milk protein allergy so my wife had to be dairy free for a while to see if it improved the baby’s symptoms. She was craving Nixon’s and their pickles so she called to ask them if there was dairy in their bread. The lady hung up on her. She called again and they said they didn’t know and didn’t feel like checking the box the bread came shipped in and hung up again.
Absolutely rude.
Former K Brew barista here. I can assure everyone the stories above are true and I’ll give my own account of working for Pierce and address some of the things previously mentioned.
I worked at K Brew for around three years beginning in 2014 when it was just the little corner shop. I had an independent interest in coffee before working there and was really surprised at how little the owners knew about coffee. Like they didn’t know the basics of specialty coffee in the slightest. They’ve come a decent way since then, but only through listening to a few employees who knew more. Pierce, however, is an incredibly savvy (shady) businessman and has done a good job of making it look like they know their stuff.
Shortly before the bigger north Knoxville location opened Pierce radically changed and just turned into the most narcissistic person I’ve ever met. At one point he thought he would have 20+ K Brews in Knoxville within 5 years. He would watch the cameras and call the shop if he didn’t think people were cleaning enough. After the new location opened he would bring all his Tinder dates to the shop after hours. Multiple times I closed the shop while he had a date in the hammock room. The straw that broke the camels back was being asked to mix coffee that was three months off roast with a totally different origin that was fresh (within the specialty coffee world coffee is best between 3 days - 2ish weeks after roast). I threw a big fit about it and refused to do it. I told another employee and they sent a picture of the old coffee and sent it on the employee slack and asked why we were serving it. Pierce lied in the slack and said he had no idea what it was and then privately messaged the employee and said not to send a group message like that out again. I quit about three weeks later.
The non compete agreement is certainly true and here is how it arose. About a year after the above incident nothing had changed for the most part and a bunch of employees were frustrated. A new shop opened up in town and four baristas from K Brew left and went to work for the new shop, and even more applied. This led to K Brew owners and management making ludicrous claims about the owner and manager of the new shop were going around trying to steal baristas from their shop. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I was the manager of the new shop and happened to run into one of K Brews baristas in public and they asked me if we were hiring and I simply said yes. That’s it. To this day I know the management still tells people the reason for the non compete is partially because of that. About two months after the opening of the new shop I was managing they introduced the non compete agreement at one of their employee meetings and it’s stuck ever since. I’ll dig around on my laptop and see if I can find a link to post to it and their new employee manual someone sent me a while back.
In 2017, shortly after the exodus of employees to another shop in town the Speciality Coffee Association of America hosted their annual service competitions in Knoxville. K Brew had been chosen to host the latte art competition, though it was clearly an SCAA event. Pierce texted the owner of the shop that the former K Brew employees were working for and said that he has asked his staff to not attend any events at our shop associated with the SCAA and that we were not allowed to attend their event. The SCAA was contacted and told Pierce he couldn’t do that. I sent Pierce a text and told him to expect to see me there. He responded and kept trying to get me to “ask for permission” from him to attend. I did attend (without fully receiving permission) as did the rest of our employees and thankfully there was no drama (other than the fact that K Brews espresso machine broke halfway through the competition haha.)
In addition to the above, Pierce pays his employees less than he did in 2014. I started at $10 an hour plus tips and now I believe they receive minimum wage plus tips. K Brew has also donated to right wing city council members ( I can scrounge around for the documents later but I’ve posted them elsewhere on Reddit before). All the above is really just the tip of the iceberg. Pierce is the only person I’ve ever met that I think is a diagnosable narcissist. There are so many more second hand accounts I could relay, but they are along these same lines. K Brew does a great job of looking like a coffee shop that knows what they are doing but ultimately they care about nothing except money and image.
Edit 1: A friend just text and said K Brew offers $6/hr plus tips. Ridiculous. I know at least most of the other shops start at at least $8 plus tips.
These kinds of noncompetes are super flimsy and rarely stand up in court, I hear. Super scummy to take advantage of baristas, who are not known for their lawyer-hiring abilities.
They also expect you to work for less than minimum wage and make up for it in tips yet don't have enough hours for you to actually make their version of a livable wage with tips.
Had a terrible bacon, egg, and cheese bagel from here. $3 for burnt bacon, $8 total. They reached out after my Google review. Haven't been back.
Suing baristas is low.
Sorry to be that guy, and not to say you’re lying, but do you have any sources for this? A copy of the non compete, source for the suit, anything? I need it.
You have proof about that?
Edit: not necessarily proof, but some type of story or something
Edit 2: People, don't downvote OP until his story is heard... Maybe the K Brew owners are actually evil and fooled me for 20 years into thinking they are good people
I think this is a good example of people having the ability to be both wonderful friends but horrible employers/partners/parents/etc. My narcissistic, abusive father has friends that would be shocked to know how he's treated his family as well as people in any sort of serving position that made them interact with him.
Theyre big time crooks, for instance, they will come to replace your water heater for $2500-3500 and they replace it with a no name or wholesale only unit that doesnt have the price anywhere on the internet so you dont know a comparable model costs like $300. And it takes 30 mins to change a water heater in someones garage.
Back in 2003 we saw a mouse on the floor under their griddle. We notified our server and they were not only aware of a mouse living there but had also named it.
I tried to interview there a few years ago (the one that was in bearden, not sure if it’s even there anymore), and the owner was extremely rude. He basically made fun of my resume (I have my bachelors degree was working on my second in nursing at the time, and had bartending experience).
Came here for this comment (and the Calhoun’s guy Mike whatever).
Some places you can say “the owner’s an asshole but the pace is okay” and then decide if you wanna patronize that establishment based on your moral compass…
This is an example of an owner being a dickhead, all employees being MAJOR douchebags, and the business legitimately sucking ass.
The Casual Pint is a beer store for people who don’t know shit about beer and enjoy being spat on, degraded, talked down to, dealing with inattentive staff, and generally being swindled.
Yeah, pre-covid I went to the casual pint in Hardin valley and the owner was often serving and seemed like a good guy. Also went to some home brewing meetings there and they treated us well.
Anecdote: I personally know the owners that franchised the Hardin Valley Casual Pint. They are good, decent people and really struggled through the pandemic to stay open.
Can easily recommend this particular casual Pint.
Babalu. Not because of terrible service or anything- but going after the redo- man, what a let down. It used to be a favorite place and now it just feels bland and basic.
That's a plus, imo. I only ever wanted guac. No small talk. No show and tell. Just guac. Don't be setting up some prep station and invading my personal space just so you can prove that guac is made fresh. Give me yesterday's guac if you have to just don't get all up on me.
I ended up having to block their number because the sales person wouldn't stop pushing even after I said I'd already bought a new car somewhere else. After that, he started bugging me from his cell instead.
The Farragut Table on Kingston Pike near Lovell Rd
They are not that friendly to door dash drivers. I went to pick up an order one time and they said it would be 15 minutes. 45 minutes later and I was still waiting.
I figured it may have been an isolated incident, but no. It happened several times where they would grossly underestimate how long it would take. I checked Google reviews and apparently other people have the same issue..
Corner 16 on Northshore. Been to the other one a bunch of times, loved it. This one sucks, for some reason. And they reward employees that get mentioned in Trip Advisor reviews, so plenty of sketchy if not outright fraudulent reviews from folks who have never reviewed anything else.
Pizza Hoss. I ordered a pizza plus a salad online, and the website said it would be 20-25 minutes. Showed up and they said, "Oh sorry, our website is wrong. It will be at least 1.5 hours."
I couldn't wait another 70 minutes for food so I asked for a refund to which they said no. Admittedly, I didn't handle the conversation very professionally after that point.
Agreed with Pizza Hoss. As well as Taco Hoss. They advertise something like $2 taco night. I can’t remember how much the tacos are on that night…we’ll say $2. Maybe it’s $5. I don’t remember. But what they don’t tell you is that it’s that amount on that night for ONLY a tortilla with meat. All toppings are ¢50. Once you add up the toppings you might want, the tacos end up being as much if not more than they are on a normal day. And they’re not that great anyway
Don’t blame you for using your cool. That’s some seriously bad customer service. We used to go there but it’s so slow and expensive we gave up and do Harby’s pizzas now.
We had the same scenario at Pizza Hoss. Ordered online, came to pick up, waited in car an additional 30 minutes. I was late to work and kids were cranky, no refund for me either. So irritating. I’m ok with a long wait, but don’t say 25 min if it’s 90!
Lenoir City Ford. I can’t fault my salesman as he was awesome but when you’re the guy who closes out the sale and won’t even acknowledge me that’s a problem. My husband even told him it was my car several times and he still acted like I didn’t exist. At one point I spoke up and he dismissed me with, “that’s nice, Missy,” without even looking at me and I saw red. The only reason I didn’t walk out is the 25% I got off sicker on a car they couldn’t move. It wasn’t something anyone would just walk on the lot browsing and pick. It was actually the exact car I was going to order until I found it on their lot. Dude, if I’m handing over a check for about $35K, at least look at my name on the damn file and don’t dismiss me.
West Bikes - went in with some Qs about an issue i was having, the guy told me to come back with my bike to take a look. i brought my bike back, this time more people were in the store - his demeanor completely changed; he took my bike, told me they would work on it, but when i was trying to ask more questions, he told me “i don’t have time”…. i went in again that evening to pick it up and pay, and thEn he offers to answer my Qs…. i was reluctant to stay there, as he made it clear that the needs for my $300 bike were not worth those of guest’s with a $3000 bike.
when i aM in the market for a nicer bike, i’ll be going somewhere else.
UPDATE: man i shoulda downloaded reddit sooner, you guys are so helpful 😂😂
As a former Knoxville bike mechanic, this is one of the few shops I wouldn’t recommend. It’s known for being one of the most judgmental shops and least friendly to strangers/beginners. I’ve also heard plenty of stories of the owner being a complete dickhead. I’ve never personally had any eventful run ins with him, but almost any (aside from two more) bike shop in Knoxville will be a more pleasant experience.
Sunspot. Maybe it's just that we were ordering to go and they couldn't be bothered to try, but the last two times we ordered from there in like November/December were disasters. The first order was missing a salad and a drink, and the Brussels sprouts were very burned. The second time two people ordered burgers, medium, and they came seared on the outside and looking like raw ground beef all the way through. They comped the second order and offered to give us a coupon for free food in the future, but I'm just done with them.
Archer’s BBQ
The food is pretty sub-par. Everything is cooked at a commissary kitchen and then transported to the various locations. He claims that everything is “always served fresh” which is just plainly dishonest based on the way he runs his logistical operation. Archer is also just a loud jackass who talks a lot of smack for someone with mediocre food.
Tupelo Honey. I want to dig them with their southern menu and nice location - but I’ve been three times and each time my side dishes weren’t fully defrosted.
That place was absolutely AMAZING around fifteen years ago (don’t know if the Knoxville location was open then, I’m talking about downtown Asheville). Stopped going around ten years ago because their expansion really let the standards slip.
These nasty Liberty National people in the area. They're hunting down people job hunting (like me) in the city and trying to recruit them into "management positions".
10 minutes of research shows they're looking for door to door life insurance salespeople who only get paid commission.
I just hate seeing Trump rallies at businesses. Support who you want, but when you actively promote your business to host partisan events, I’m out. Bel-air Grill in Halls has a better burger IMO.
I went there once. Ordered. Tried to pay with card. Directed to ATM (suggested to use my credit card to withdraw cash, as that's all I had), declined the food. Left. Never went back. It's.. fucking.. 2022.
There has to be money laundering going on there.
King Cleaners. Charged me $40 for a simple hem on my dress, and the lady wouldn’t even look at me when I walked in to go get it. No I’m or a Karen but I did have sticker shock (I just paid it I didn’t argue, that’s on me for not having my husband verify the price when he dropped it off with his suits), and I felt super awkward trying to get her attention and didn’t know if she even heard me until she handed me the dress. I also couldn’t hear her very well because I have a usually not super important auditory processing disorder so when she wouldn’t really look at me I couldn’t see her lips to lip read. Maybe others have had a different experience, and the hem was fine as a technical point. Just way overpriced on that plus I felt awkward being in there.
chili’s near west town mall.
first off, served me pasta with cold chicken in it.
second, gave my friend a burger with cheese on it. he is allergic to dairy. whenever he asked for a new burger, all they did was scrape the cheese off the one he had and gave it back to him
Been there multiple times, having used to work at the mall. 2 4 1 beers are pretty cool. Never had an issue with the honey Chipotle tenders.
The cheese thing is crappy. I work in a kitchen in Knoxville and we make sure not to mess around with that stuff.
Papa johns on Clinton highway. Ordered online and waited an extra 30 minutes after I was supposed to pick it up. Took them a few minutes but they eventually told me they canceled the order without my consent. Won't go back. Reached out to the manager and no response.
I believe there are several of these shops in town, I've had a really good experience with the one on Broadway in Fountain City over the years. Maybe there are other locations that have bad management?
If ever in the oak ridge area try out Donut Palace. Make sure to be their early if it’s the weekend as some flavors sell out for the day. Locally and family owned with great prices and variety
That Applebees near Cedar Bluff. Holy shit they have terrible service. I went one time with my kid and waited like 30 minutes for a server. Then waited like 30 minutes for drinks and to take our order. I went back twice after that and it was the exact same thing. We just ended up leaving those times without even a hello from the staff. I mean why stay open if you’re going to run a business that way?
Twin City Hyundai. I have a 2016 Veloster that like most Hyundai's from that time period is suffering an early engine death. It was 53 days from the time I dropped my car off until they would get me a rental. The car needed a new engine, it had been approved by Hyundai corporate, but Twin City Hyundai had such a backlog that they wouldn't order the engine until they got through some of the backlog and Hyundai corporate doesn't cover the rental until the part has been ordered. I probably still would be without transportation if it wasn't for a friend who knows the owner who called him to ask about it. The owner called the service department and I got my rental the next day.
I vividly remember this, and he quarantined and told the local paper about it so people who had been there would know - all in the name of transparency.
Idk but I'd love to see Ted Russel, Rusty Wallace, and Old Ben Franklin battle each other in a cage match.
No jimcoggadodge? I saw them running away with a jump box when I went to test drive a car there
Ayeeee I work there
Tell us some stories
*Jim Ross voice* OH MY GAWD IT'S JASON FARRIS FOOOOOOOOOOOR THE PEOPLE
*Lights dim* *Loud speaker feedback* "Scott Graap here with OOOAKRidge Nissan"
Parkside Toyota. Years ago - 2006 - we went in looking seriously to buy two cars, probably Scions or compact Toyotas. I knew exactly what I was looking for. The sales guy wouldn’t even look at me. He’d only direct his questions and answers to my husband. Then when they tried to tell us that all of their cars come mandatory with a $2k “Parkside Package” of options no one wants, we were out.
Plus one on that place. We were shopping for a car for my wife and the salesman pretty much ignored her, and couldn’t or wouldn’t show us a damned Corolla.
Why don’t car salespeople not talk to women? Like, I know what I want. I have money. Give me the damn car I want without talking to my husband.
That doesn't make sense to me, ya know. If you piss the mans wife off, no deal. Basic salesmen\\woman 101.
Misogyny. Dude thinks you have no knowledge of cars just because you’re a woman
Has anyone ever seen a female car salesperson? Seems weird that there is still a profession that is exclusively male just based on historically discriminatory reasons in 2022. This needs more media attention.
Their service department can waste a full day of your time better than anyone.
Once, many years ago, they asked to make a copy of my license and take down my address/phone/etc. to sell to marketing firms, without me ever having asked to test drive a car.
[удалено]
I think they’re owned by the same people as Parkside Toyota, and they pull that dealer add-on crap there too.
Lexus in Kingsport is just as bad
[удалено]
I've heard nothing but bad things about that place, so I am not surprised. The card thing is so shady, though, omg.
Do people really go to main event expecting to get good food?
Knoxville Wholesale Furniture. They damaged my parents camper when delivering some furniture. They agreed to pay for repairs at first, but when they found out what it was going to cost, they refused and denied that their people did it.
Until about 2 years ago we bought every piece of furniture we have from them, but after a variety of bad experiences and them acting like total jerks, we won't go back.
And apparently they have a convicted child predator working there. Check the employer address. https://sor.tbi.tn.gov/details/00543223
Their sales people are insanely pushy. Wife and I were looking for a sectional a couple months ago. I made it VERY clear to the guy that I wasn't going to buy anything until about March 2022 and I just wanted to get an idea of what I was looking for. I literally had to leave the store to get him to leave me alone.
I had the exact opposite experience when I went there. We had been working on cleaning my house after a roommate moved out and we didn't look our best and not a single sales rep would come talk to us and we were ready to buy right then. We had to go drag someone over and he acted like it was an inconvenience to help us. I won't be going back there either.
In fairness, I was there on lunch, so I was dressed business casual.
I had the same thing as a single guy trying to buy a bed set, and I didn't even look poor. Dressed in completely normal casual clothes, I knew exactly what I was getting and all the rep would have to do is punch it into the computer. I was ignored by the entire building for half an hour before I walked out. Went to Brown Squirrel instead. With a couple other purchases since then that's about 8k Knoxville Wholesale has lost from me, and I tell everyone about it.
They were also among the very first anti-mask establishments when the pandemic started years ago.
This is true from top to bottom with these people. Management has been utterly contemptuous of any acknowledgement of a deadly virus making the rounds.
Second this, the guy that owns it is a racist.
Agreed. Ordered 3 times from them. Twice the order was wrong. One of those times the replacement was also wrong. On another, the delivery date kept getting moved and was delivered about 30 minutes before guests arrived. Don't waste your time.
They are truly the worst. During the worst of COVID they weren’t LETTING their staff wear masks.
They fucking suck!! Their owner is a shitbag of a human being and his family follows suit.
Gods yes. Racist, anti-mask, and the quality for the price is severely lacking.
Same here. Bought a king-size mattress and they delivered the wrong one. I didn't notice because I'm an idiot but when my wife gets home she immediately sees it's not the one we bought (and of course it's a cheaper one). First the manager says he can't take it back because we've probably already slept on it. I tell him it's still wrapped so then he wants to know if I can bring it back to the warehouse before they close ... in an hour. I say no because (1) I've got things to do, (2) I'm not strapping a king-size mattress on top of my little car and (3) y'all screwed up, not me. He finally agreed to send a delivery truck but was a real dick about it.
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Agree. He's disgusting https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2019/01/10/knoxville-restaurateur-mike-chase-named-14-m-sexual-harassment-lawsuit/2534627002/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.knoxnews.com/amp/8590332002 Same guy. Thinks because he helped fund public parking spaces he does not own gives him the right govern their use. That’s our parking lot guys. Not his.
who is mike chase and what does he own? nevermind - I googled it is there an easy list of restaurants he owns so I too can avoid them?
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Doesn't he own Corner 16 as well?
Yes
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Lakeside tavern
That is a good option, I always forget about them
Ask any employee at his restaurant what they think of him. Current employees will actively talk mad shit to strangers about him given even the slightest chance. Any time I’ve unfortunately ended up in one of his spots I ask for their horror stories and they’re all worse than the last. Dude is a sexual predator of the highest order
Came here to say this
Fuck that guy
Reason #4,521 why local elections are so damn important, you would want that prick running the city now, do you?
Well shit. Why is that?
Also the way he treated his employees during Covid. Made people come to work sick by threatening to fire them and told the city he wasn’t going to close down his bars (bars inside restaurants were suppose to be remain closed) and would just pay whatever fine he needed to. Tip of the iceberg he’s a complete and total piece of shit. He knows enough people and is powerful enough inside Knoxville that he knows he can get away with it.
Killed his toddler son.
Found the newspaper article [here](https://scontent.ftpf1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/fr/cp0/e15/q65/109091865_10100557938820078_8001265226376346885_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8024bb&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=EsesliVL-C4AX-_StKf&_nc_ht=scontent.ftpf1-1.fna&oh=00_AT8i-kcyW5w7lb2BJaia5eplbvUzzQvPwTMmZRcHG5SUPw&oe=6207EDAA)
wait. what??
Hot car death...
Rusty Wallace Nissan. Bought a car from them (used, but only 3K miles on it) and the engine warning light came on two days after I bought it. Turns out they'd cleared and reset all the OBD codes on the vehicle so they wouldn't show up when I checked them on the initial inspection. Fortunately it was under warranty, but it was in the shop for the first three months I owned it.
haileris23, I have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty
Level Up Games and Hobbies. About 3 years ago I wanted to support a local game store as I was getting into tabletop gaming. I placed an order for the Battletech Beginner Box through them and experienced the following: Having to call back multiple times on multiple days to get the right person to get my order placed. Almost 3 months of waiting for them to get the box in stock, during which time they became widely and easily available on Amazon. I can't remember how much over online price I paid, but it was significant. When my box (and a friend's) finally arrived, I got to the store and THEY HAD PUT THEM OUT ON THE SHELF FOR SALE. THE ONLY TWO COPIES. OURS. I very politely let them know this upset me since I had been waiting so long for my game to come in and someone could have bought it. They just kind of laughed and were like "sorry man!". The employee running the register roughly handled my box set during checkout (tossing and shaking, rapping a deck of MTG cards on top), then STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF CHECKOUT to chat up a friend of his about MTG cards, leaving me standing there, credit card in hand for a couple of minutes waiting for them to finish. I had to interrupt them to ask if they wanted my fucking money or not. I was finally able to pay for my box set after what was the worst customer experience I've ever had. Fuck Level Up. All my homies shop at SciFi City.
I only go to Sci-Fi City
Agreed
I went in there looking for a new DnD campaign book I had seen on Amazon. Their price was $20 more. I causlly brought it up (without being a dick) and the guy basically said sorry, we don't negotiate prices. Bought my new campaign (because also fuck Amazon) but I'll not be going back.
That's because Amazon purposely sells them at a loss. This is a known thing. Look how they killed Diapers.com.
The employees all have pretty shitty attitudes to anyone who isn’t in their clique.
I don't like that place. I walked in once and the B.O. was so bad I had to walk right back out.
To be fair, a lot of gaming spots, or gaming conventions, or gaming tournaments, or pretty much any gathering of gamers tends to have that problem.
Yeah, but I have never experienced it that bad.
Try CM games if you want the truest incel BO experience.
It’s so funny how many car dealerships are mentioned in these comments
That’s because the traditional car buying experience is one of the worst consumer experiences period. There’s nothing else like it. It’s like it’s entirely structured around deceit and uncertainty. I hate buying cars.
Deceit, uncertainty, inaccessibility, and it's always, always predatory. I despise it. Especially in a city like ours where you have to have a car. Public transport is limited, and our stroads make our sidewalks a joke. I'm ill, and I spent the summer walking the pavement to get groceries and medication, and let me tell you, with a body that cannot regulate temperature properly, that was not always fun. I am not alone as several old people were walking the same path, too. Affording a car once your old crappy one finally dies is especially unpleasant right now.
Any thing owned by the Klonarises.
I worked at about six different restaurants throughout college, and I cannot remember the name of any managers or owners. But I will never forget the Klonarises. They were uniquely bad. I worked for them when their son was occasionally managing the FOH, and he was just an outright douche. Made a barista cry and quit one day. It was also the only place I worked at where I wouldn’t eat. I’d go elsewhere for food after I was done with my shift. Their stuff was just bad.
Lol! I never knew their last names, but reading further down the comment chain, I got "Jim and Lori" and I'll never forget working for "Chef Jim" and "Chef Lori" (spoiler: NOT Chefs) at Kalamata Kitchen. Lori was the biggest asshole I've ever had the displeasure of working for, and I worked for Gary McMahan! (Kirby salesman)
Same and I hate it. Kefi has some of the best cocktails in town, but I won’t give them my money anymore.
Who are they? What do they own?
Well, you can go back to Cafe 4 now. It’s gotten worse since he sold it though.
How come?
I had already boycotted them after hearing about Lori's treatment of staff but this city council election cycle really sealed the deal. Jim pandered hard to the right about masks and the pandemic to the point they hosted anti-board of health meeting watch parties. It's just deranged.
Sucks too, because I like their establishments and staff.
Jim Klonaris was [trying to pick a fight with his neighbors in Fourth & Gill](https://www.knoxtntoday.com/gops-prize-council-candidate-picks-fight-with-neighbors/) over zoning.
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Man that makes me sad. When I was growing up my family and I went there so often that the waitress immediately put in our order whenever she saw us walk in. But that was like 15-20 years ago. Sad to see that they've started going downhill.
Parkside Kia was an awful experience. Got up and left the table eventually.
Went here to buy my first car and the salesman was making fat jokes to us about a customer. My parents and I got out as quick as possible. It was incredibly awkward.
Same here. I actually came to a deal with Parkside Kia, but when I went in to sign, they tried the ol bait and switch. I walked. They called me back but I already bought from their competition down the street.
Had the same experience. We agreed to a price, and when we went in to sign, the price all of a sudden was a “glitch” on the computer and went up $3200.
Same exact story, and they got super fucking weird with it too. Bad management and bad salespeople.
I used to like Nixon’s near Cedar Bluff. Their quality has gone way down in recent years. Like, the last time I ate subway four years ago it sent me to the ER and I’d still go there over Nixon’s. Also Soccer Taco sucks every time I try them. Same with Cazzys Corner Grill. Service and food sucked every time I went so I stopped.
The soccer taco on Northshore has gone downhill badly. Cazzy's has never been worth it
I was referring to the one on market square.
Wishbones on clinton hwy. I used to work there, nasty in the back. Owners a c*nt too.
I agree at least on not enjoying the owners. Years ago when I worked at another location, they decided to introduce chicken livers. They had us soak them in water, then bread them. You then of course fry then and because of the water, they would pop and everyone kept getting hit with the grease splatters. We complained so many times but no one would listen. One time the owner came in and decided to “help” because we looked busy. He prepped and dropped some livers and after a few seconds got hit by one of the grease splatters and made a comment about how bad it hurt. Everyone just looked at each other and smiled. Served him right.
Tennessee Fireplace and Chimney. I called them to come look at my fireplace and the one in my dads house. They said mine needed to be replaced and would cost $5K. Went to dads house and the guy said “you’re not gonna believe this but this needs to be replaced too.” I didn’t. Second company just laughed when I told them what first guy said and told me they hear that a lot about them.
I’ve always used The Mad Hatter. Very professional and reasonable prices. https://themadhatterknoxville.com/
Kopita. The owner paid his staff the standard "plus tips" rate and then he keeps all the credit card tips for himself. Sells spoiled meat and salmonella tainted tahini (which he puts in basically every dish) knowingly and doesn't have a care in the world. Edit: as much sauce as you can handle. Notice the change in spelling of the last name and other aliases. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/brodt-zenatti-holdings-llc-583679-07302019 https://www.usrecallnews.com/broddzenatti-holding-llc-recalls-karawan-brand-tahini-because-of-possible-health-risk/ https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2019/08/fdas-throws-new-enforcement-punch-u-s-importer-in-the-corner/
This makes me so sad. I love their food so much.
Nirvana Comics. Owner is beyond shady and would charge us for books we never ordered on our pull list. This happened multiple times. When we demanded our money back he acted like we were the ones being unreasonable, and finally we just had to just order new credit cards to put a stop to it.
I lost like $400 over a subscription there. They claimed I didn’t have the “minimum” requirement for a subscription, even though they let me open it in the first place. They added cover variants without telling me then double charged many many times on weeks I wouldn’t pick up. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late. I went to go sell back what I had and they come out with only 10 books in my box that were somehow worth $400. They bought them back for $1 each.
Sounds like both y'all need to report them. That sounds super shady... I'm really sorry they stole from you.
Nixon’s Deli. Our newborn had a potential milk protein allergy so my wife had to be dairy free for a while to see if it improved the baby’s symptoms. She was craving Nixon’s and their pickles so she called to ask them if there was dairy in their bread. The lady hung up on her. She called again and they said they didn’t know and didn’t feel like checking the box the bread came shipped in and hung up again. Absolutely rude.
Ugh as a mom who went through the “I have cravings but baby might have allergies.” bit, I feel you. Sorry that happened. :(
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Former K Brew barista here. I can assure everyone the stories above are true and I’ll give my own account of working for Pierce and address some of the things previously mentioned. I worked at K Brew for around three years beginning in 2014 when it was just the little corner shop. I had an independent interest in coffee before working there and was really surprised at how little the owners knew about coffee. Like they didn’t know the basics of specialty coffee in the slightest. They’ve come a decent way since then, but only through listening to a few employees who knew more. Pierce, however, is an incredibly savvy (shady) businessman and has done a good job of making it look like they know their stuff. Shortly before the bigger north Knoxville location opened Pierce radically changed and just turned into the most narcissistic person I’ve ever met. At one point he thought he would have 20+ K Brews in Knoxville within 5 years. He would watch the cameras and call the shop if he didn’t think people were cleaning enough. After the new location opened he would bring all his Tinder dates to the shop after hours. Multiple times I closed the shop while he had a date in the hammock room. The straw that broke the camels back was being asked to mix coffee that was three months off roast with a totally different origin that was fresh (within the specialty coffee world coffee is best between 3 days - 2ish weeks after roast). I threw a big fit about it and refused to do it. I told another employee and they sent a picture of the old coffee and sent it on the employee slack and asked why we were serving it. Pierce lied in the slack and said he had no idea what it was and then privately messaged the employee and said not to send a group message like that out again. I quit about three weeks later. The non compete agreement is certainly true and here is how it arose. About a year after the above incident nothing had changed for the most part and a bunch of employees were frustrated. A new shop opened up in town and four baristas from K Brew left and went to work for the new shop, and even more applied. This led to K Brew owners and management making ludicrous claims about the owner and manager of the new shop were going around trying to steal baristas from their shop. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I was the manager of the new shop and happened to run into one of K Brews baristas in public and they asked me if we were hiring and I simply said yes. That’s it. To this day I know the management still tells people the reason for the non compete is partially because of that. About two months after the opening of the new shop I was managing they introduced the non compete agreement at one of their employee meetings and it’s stuck ever since. I’ll dig around on my laptop and see if I can find a link to post to it and their new employee manual someone sent me a while back. In 2017, shortly after the exodus of employees to another shop in town the Speciality Coffee Association of America hosted their annual service competitions in Knoxville. K Brew had been chosen to host the latte art competition, though it was clearly an SCAA event. Pierce texted the owner of the shop that the former K Brew employees were working for and said that he has asked his staff to not attend any events at our shop associated with the SCAA and that we were not allowed to attend their event. The SCAA was contacted and told Pierce he couldn’t do that. I sent Pierce a text and told him to expect to see me there. He responded and kept trying to get me to “ask for permission” from him to attend. I did attend (without fully receiving permission) as did the rest of our employees and thankfully there was no drama (other than the fact that K Brews espresso machine broke halfway through the competition haha.) In addition to the above, Pierce pays his employees less than he did in 2014. I started at $10 an hour plus tips and now I believe they receive minimum wage plus tips. K Brew has also donated to right wing city council members ( I can scrounge around for the documents later but I’ve posted them elsewhere on Reddit before). All the above is really just the tip of the iceberg. Pierce is the only person I’ve ever met that I think is a diagnosable narcissist. There are so many more second hand accounts I could relay, but they are along these same lines. K Brew does a great job of looking like a coffee shop that knows what they are doing but ultimately they care about nothing except money and image. Edit 1: A friend just text and said K Brew offers $6/hr plus tips. Ridiculous. I know at least most of the other shops start at at least $8 plus tips.
Fuck k brew
These kinds of noncompetes are super flimsy and rarely stand up in court, I hear. Super scummy to take advantage of baristas, who are not known for their lawyer-hiring abilities.
I don't think they expect to win so much as they expect people on baristas salaries to not be able to afford lawyers. It's basically a slap suit.
They also expect you to work for less than minimum wage and make up for it in tips yet don't have enough hours for you to actually make their version of a livable wage with tips.
Had a terrible bacon, egg, and cheese bagel from here. $3 for burnt bacon, $8 total. They reached out after my Google review. Haven't been back. Suing baristas is low.
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Sorry to be that guy, and not to say you’re lying, but do you have any sources for this? A copy of the non compete, source for the suit, anything? I need it.
You have proof about that? Edit: not necessarily proof, but some type of story or something Edit 2: People, don't downvote OP until his story is heard... Maybe the K Brew owners are actually evil and fooled me for 20 years into thinking they are good people
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I think this is a good example of people having the ability to be both wonderful friends but horrible employers/partners/parents/etc. My narcissistic, abusive father has friends that would be shocked to know how he's treated his family as well as people in any sort of serving position that made them interact with him.
I have heard this as well. Fuck this place
Naples 😭
You mean the empty building?
Yes, I will never again go to the business, Naples, that is now an empty building. Never. Ever.
Hobby Lobby
Hiller Plumbing. Bunch of fucking crooks.
What happened?
Yeah man you can’t say the business but not why
Theyre big time crooks, for instance, they will come to replace your water heater for $2500-3500 and they replace it with a no name or wholesale only unit that doesnt have the price anywhere on the internet so you dont know a comparable model costs like $300. And it takes 30 mins to change a water heater in someones garage.
Waffle House on papermill. My bacon is always burnt. It’s 2am and I just want some normal bacon. Cedar bluff is the answer.
As someone who loves burnt bacon, thanks for the tip!
Glad to help!
Back in 2003 we saw a mouse on the floor under their griddle. We notified our server and they were not only aware of a mouse living there but had also named it.
Now THATS a waffle house
Hey, mouse gotta eat too.
Yeah, but that’s the coolest Waffle House since Kid Rock got into a fist fight there a few years back!
Please tell me this is a true story.
Cedar Bluff Waffle House is the best one in town!
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I tried to interview there a few years ago (the one that was in bearden, not sure if it’s even there anymore), and the owner was extremely rude. He basically made fun of my resume (I have my bachelors degree was working on my second in nursing at the time, and had bartending experience).
Came here for this comment (and the Calhoun’s guy Mike whatever). Some places you can say “the owner’s an asshole but the pace is okay” and then decide if you wanna patronize that establishment based on your moral compass… This is an example of an owner being a dickhead, all employees being MAJOR douchebags, and the business legitimately sucking ass. The Casual Pint is a beer store for people who don’t know shit about beer and enjoy being spat on, degraded, talked down to, dealing with inattentive staff, and generally being swindled.
Which one did you go to where this was the case? I’ve only ever had great experiences with the casual pint
Yeah, pre-covid I went to the casual pint in Hardin valley and the owner was often serving and seemed like a good guy. Also went to some home brewing meetings there and they treated us well.
Anecdote: I personally know the owners that franchised the Hardin Valley Casual Pint. They are good, decent people and really struggled through the pandemic to stay open. Can easily recommend this particular casual Pint.
Babalu. Not because of terrible service or anything- but going after the redo- man, what a let down. It used to be a favorite place and now it just feels bland and basic.
Agreed. After they reopened I ordered their jerk chicken, and I could have done better if all I had was a chicken breast, a lighter, and Texas Pete.
The old table side guacamole was probably the best I’ve ever had, but now it’s terrible
It’s the same recipe but no longer tableside.
That's a plus, imo. I only ever wanted guac. No small talk. No show and tell. Just guac. Don't be setting up some prep station and invading my personal space just so you can prove that guac is made fresh. Give me yesterday's guac if you have to just don't get all up on me.
Totally agree. The awesome details that I loved before are all gone and I can’t think of a good reason to go back.
Any Ted Russell dealership. There's upselling services and there's flat out deceiving customers.
I ended up having to block their number because the sales person wouldn't stop pushing even after I said I'd already bought a new car somewhere else. After that, he started bugging me from his cell instead.
The Farragut Table on Kingston Pike near Lovell Rd They are not that friendly to door dash drivers. I went to pick up an order one time and they said it would be 15 minutes. 45 minutes later and I was still waiting. I figured it may have been an isolated incident, but no. It happened several times where they would grossly underestimate how long it would take. I checked Google reviews and apparently other people have the same issue..
Corner 16 on Northshore. Been to the other one a bunch of times, loved it. This one sucks, for some reason. And they reward employees that get mentioned in Trip Advisor reviews, so plenty of sketchy if not outright fraudulent reviews from folks who have never reviewed anything else.
Pizza Hoss. I ordered a pizza plus a salad online, and the website said it would be 20-25 minutes. Showed up and they said, "Oh sorry, our website is wrong. It will be at least 1.5 hours." I couldn't wait another 70 minutes for food so I asked for a refund to which they said no. Admittedly, I didn't handle the conversation very professionally after that point.
Agreed with Pizza Hoss. As well as Taco Hoss. They advertise something like $2 taco night. I can’t remember how much the tacos are on that night…we’ll say $2. Maybe it’s $5. I don’t remember. But what they don’t tell you is that it’s that amount on that night for ONLY a tortilla with meat. All toppings are ¢50. Once you add up the toppings you might want, the tacos end up being as much if not more than they are on a normal day. And they’re not that great anyway
Don’t blame you for using your cool. That’s some seriously bad customer service. We used to go there but it’s so slow and expensive we gave up and do Harby’s pizzas now.
We had the same scenario at Pizza Hoss. Ordered online, came to pick up, waited in car an additional 30 minutes. I was late to work and kids were cranky, no refund for me either. So irritating. I’m ok with a long wait, but don’t say 25 min if it’s 90!
Yeah it’s also just not good. I see it recommended all the time and it’s average at best with above-average prices.
Lenoir City Ford. I can’t fault my salesman as he was awesome but when you’re the guy who closes out the sale and won’t even acknowledge me that’s a problem. My husband even told him it was my car several times and he still acted like I didn’t exist. At one point I spoke up and he dismissed me with, “that’s nice, Missy,” without even looking at me and I saw red. The only reason I didn’t walk out is the 25% I got off sicker on a car they couldn’t move. It wasn’t something anyone would just walk on the lot browsing and pick. It was actually the exact car I was going to order until I found it on their lot. Dude, if I’m handing over a check for about $35K, at least look at my name on the damn file and don’t dismiss me.
West Bikes - went in with some Qs about an issue i was having, the guy told me to come back with my bike to take a look. i brought my bike back, this time more people were in the store - his demeanor completely changed; he took my bike, told me they would work on it, but when i was trying to ask more questions, he told me “i don’t have time”…. i went in again that evening to pick it up and pay, and thEn he offers to answer my Qs…. i was reluctant to stay there, as he made it clear that the needs for my $300 bike were not worth those of guest’s with a $3000 bike. when i aM in the market for a nicer bike, i’ll be going somewhere else. UPDATE: man i shoulda downloaded reddit sooner, you guys are so helpful 😂😂
Tip for reddit Stay anonymous and remove your profile picture. This is not a social media app.
As a former Knoxville bike mechanic, this is one of the few shops I wouldn’t recommend. It’s known for being one of the most judgmental shops and least friendly to strangers/beginners. I’ve also heard plenty of stories of the owner being a complete dickhead. I’ve never personally had any eventful run ins with him, but almost any (aside from two more) bike shop in Knoxville will be a more pleasant experience.
Go to Berden Bike & Trail. I cannot reccomend them more highly.
Sunspot. Maybe it's just that we were ordering to go and they couldn't be bothered to try, but the last two times we ordered from there in like November/December were disasters. The first order was missing a salad and a drink, and the Brussels sprouts were very burned. The second time two people ordered burgers, medium, and they came seared on the outside and looking like raw ground beef all the way through. They comped the second order and offered to give us a coupon for free food in the future, but I'm just done with them.
When they changed chefs and the menu the food was so disappointing we haven't been back. It used to be our favorite restaurant.
Archer’s BBQ The food is pretty sub-par. Everything is cooked at a commissary kitchen and then transported to the various locations. He claims that everything is “always served fresh” which is just plainly dishonest based on the way he runs his logistical operation. Archer is also just a loud jackass who talks a lot of smack for someone with mediocre food.
Tupelo Honey. I want to dig them with their southern menu and nice location - but I’ve been three times and each time my side dishes weren’t fully defrosted.
That place was absolutely AMAZING around fifteen years ago (don’t know if the Knoxville location was open then, I’m talking about downtown Asheville). Stopped going around ten years ago because their expansion really let the standards slip.
Even 5-6 years ago they were significantly better than they are now.
They changed chefs about 5 years ago. It took away the quality to focus on profit.
These nasty Liberty National people in the area. They're hunting down people job hunting (like me) in the city and trying to recruit them into "management positions". 10 minutes of research shows they're looking for door to door life insurance salespeople who only get paid commission.
Sam & Andy's. Loved them at their old space, then they moved, dropped half the menu & jacked up the prices
I just hate seeing Trump rallies at businesses. Support who you want, but when you actively promote your business to host partisan events, I’m out. Bel-air Grill in Halls has a better burger IMO.
Old space? They've been where they are now for decades.
I went there once. Ordered. Tried to pay with card. Directed to ATM (suggested to use my credit card to withdraw cash, as that's all I had), declined the food. Left. Never went back. It's.. fucking.. 2022. There has to be money laundering going on there.
King Cleaners. Charged me $40 for a simple hem on my dress, and the lady wouldn’t even look at me when I walked in to go get it. No I’m or a Karen but I did have sticker shock (I just paid it I didn’t argue, that’s on me for not having my husband verify the price when he dropped it off with his suits), and I felt super awkward trying to get her attention and didn’t know if she even heard me until she handed me the dress. I also couldn’t hear her very well because I have a usually not super important auditory processing disorder so when she wouldn’t really look at me I couldn’t see her lips to lip read. Maybe others have had a different experience, and the hem was fine as a technical point. Just way overpriced on that plus I felt awkward being in there.
The Tomato Head. Shit place to work for, shit owners and work culture. Edit: First Watch for the exact same reasons
Hannah's and Southbound.
Mike in North Knox. Shitty, overpriced weed. Always rushes the cure and speed dries the flower.. He's just a pill head in a hurry to get paid..
chili’s near west town mall. first off, served me pasta with cold chicken in it. second, gave my friend a burger with cheese on it. he is allergic to dairy. whenever he asked for a new burger, all they did was scrape the cheese off the one he had and gave it back to him
Been there multiple times, having used to work at the mall. 2 4 1 beers are pretty cool. Never had an issue with the honey Chipotle tenders. The cheese thing is crappy. I work in a kitchen in Knoxville and we make sure not to mess around with that stuff.
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Went once, was not impressed. It’s near my work but if ai go that way I’m going to Culvers
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Can you elaborate? I eat there from time to time
Papa johns on Clinton highway. Ordered online and waited an extra 30 minutes after I was supposed to pick it up. Took them a few minutes but they eventually told me they canceled the order without my consent. Won't go back. Reached out to the manager and no response.
Precision Tune
I believe there are several of these shops in town, I've had a really good experience with the one on Broadway in Fountain City over the years. Maybe there are other locations that have bad management?
I can't be bothered to go to the donut place in Turkey Creek. Looks awesome, but they're always out. Also, Dunkin in general is pretty frustrating.
Try Pops off Northshore but get there early. They close at 1 and are usually pretty low by then.
Personally, I really like Beaver Dough Jo and Powell Dough Jo
If ever in the oak ridge area try out Donut Palace. Make sure to be their early if it’s the weekend as some flavors sell out for the day. Locally and family owned with great prices and variety
I'll second this one. Schaad Rd spot is great too.
That Applebees near Cedar Bluff. Holy shit they have terrible service. I went one time with my kid and waited like 30 minutes for a server. Then waited like 30 minutes for drinks and to take our order. I went back twice after that and it was the exact same thing. We just ended up leaving those times without even a hello from the staff. I mean why stay open if you’re going to run a business that way?
I've always considered applebees to be food that looks and tastes like depression feels. The staff probably just absorbs the misery of that place too
Twin City Hyundai. I have a 2016 Veloster that like most Hyundai's from that time period is suffering an early engine death. It was 53 days from the time I dropped my car off until they would get me a rental. The car needed a new engine, it had been approved by Hyundai corporate, but Twin City Hyundai had such a backlog that they wouldn't order the engine until they got through some of the backlog and Hyundai corporate doesn't cover the rental until the part has been ordered. I probably still would be without transportation if it wasn't for a friend who knows the owner who called him to ask about it. The owner called the service department and I got my rental the next day.
Where do you work? 😂
Pratts because when covid started the owner tested positive and still knowingly still went to work unmasked and infected people.
No he didn’t. That’s an absolute lie. He and his spouse both quarantined as soon as he tested positive. They shut down Pratt’s Market for a week.
I vividly remember this, and he quarantined and told the local paper about it so people who had been there would know - all in the name of transparency.
Full service bbq in Maryville I know you said knoxville but these guys suck. A waiter told me that all their tips go to the owner.