Aretha Frankensteins opens soon! Here's when Knoxville can get those 'Insane' waffles
Aretha Frankensteins will give Knoxville residents something to be thankful for ahead of Thanksgiving when it opens at 3318 Chapman Highway on Nov. 20.
The Chattanooga breakfast joint posted the opening date to its website and a spokesperson confirmed the date to Knox News. This is the second location for the beloved breakfast spot, which will open daily at 7:30 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends.
Jake and Taylor Ogle, owners of Scrambled Jake's Breakfast Company on Northshore Drive and self-proclaimed Aretha Frankensteins fans, purchased the property in February 2021 with an eye to recruit the Scenic City favorite to Knoxville for its first-ever expansion.
Aretha Frankensteins announced last month that it had begun hiring its Knoxville staff.
What's on the Aretha Frankensteins menu?
In a stretch of South Knoxville with few independent restaurants, Aretha Frankensteins will serve up its famous Waffles of Insane Greatness, featured on Food Network, and its signature inch-thick buttermilk pancakes.
At its original location on the North Shore of Chattanooga, opened in 2003, Aretha Frankensteins also serves Tex-Mex and sandwiches for lunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. The formerly rundown house quickly gained a reputation for its dozens of posters and framed cereal boxes, and - as it became more popular - for its legendary wait times.
If the restaurant's popularity follows it to the Scruffy City, then its new location in a former Hardee's, painted the same teal as the Chattanooga location, could be a bustling breakfast destination.
Frankenstein Mills, a sister company, sells boxed versions of Aretha Frankensteins waffle and pancake mixes in select Food City, Publix and Walmart locations, as well as on Amazon and through its website. A 2-pound box of pancake mix is $13.99 on Amazon and a 3-pack of both the pancake and waffle mixes is available through Frankenstein Mills for $32.95.
Why is Aretha Frankensteins coming to Knoxville?
Across its 20 years in business, Aretha Frankensteins has never opened another location. Why did it decide to come to a busy thoroughfare in South Knoxville?
For one thing, the new location is on the "morning side of the street," so workplace commuters to downtown can easily turn into the parking lot, property owner Jake Ogle told Knox News in August.
Ogle agreed with Aretha Frankensteins' staff that the area needed a breakfast spot where co-workers, families and friends could hang out.
It didn't hurt that the restaurant is already a cult favorite in nearby Chattanooga.
"We both felt that South Knoxville was the perfect spot for it considering the demographics and the outdoor-driven, active mentality and lifestyle of the community," Ogle said. "Additionally, there aren't a lot of breakfast spots on the south side of the river so we believed there to be a need in the market."
Ogle and staff at Aretha Frankensteins were not immediately available to provide comment on the location's opening.
The new location can be reached at 865-249-6507.
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Aretha Frankensteins Knoxville location will open soon
