The city said goodbye to some familiar, Knoxville-favorite restaurants in 2025 − from Babalu to Burger Boys − and more closings have already been announced in 2026.
Food is a tough business, local restaurant owner Dustin Cochran previously told Knox News, and opening a successful and sustainable spot is a whole different ballgame. “There’s some insane statistic like 80% of entrepreneurs fail,” he said, “and then there’s an even more insane statistic about restaurants.”
“Why would you ever do it?”…