You asked, they listened. Golden Corral is coming to Knoxville.
One of Knoxville’s “wish list” restaurants, Golden Corral is bringing its buffet to the Scruffy City. The restaurant looks to add three locations in the region: one in Maryville, one near Fountain City and another on Kingston Pike near Farragut.
Don’t get too excited, because this expansion is still in the early stages. The company has not announced an opening timeline, nor addresses where the locations will be.
In fact, the company is still looking for applicants to franchise each location. But, David Conklin, a chief development officer, said that Knoxville could see a Golden Corral buffet in 12 to 18 months, maybe even sooner, depending on the real estate market.
To open in Knoxville, Golden Corral would have to either build from the ground up or convert a closed restaurant, such as a TGIF Fridays or Red Lobster. Both of those national chains have been closing locations due to bankruptcy.
Conklin called converting its closed competitors’ restaurants into new Golden Corral locations a “buffet of opportunity.” The conversion process would result in a faster timeline for opening a Golden Corral in Knoxville.