Jason Aldean's Kitchen and Rooftop Bar in Gatlinburg gets a visit from the star

Aug 10, 2023

Jason Aldean's Kitchen and Rooftop Bar in Gatlinburg held a grand opening Aug. 3 and got a visit from its country superstar namesake.

Aldean was there to cut the ribbon but did not take questions as the backlash against his "Try That In A Small Town" video continues.

The three-story venue is 20,000 square feet and likely will become a go-to live music venue near the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, much like Blake Shelton's nearby Ole Red.

The restaurant and bar at 644 Parkway opened quietly in July and is part of TC Restaurant Group. Aldean is one of several country stars the restaurant group has partnered with, including Miranda Lambert for Casa Rosa and FGL House.

The second-floor restaurant seats more than 240 patrons and the windows roll up to let in the Smoky Mountains air.

The walls are decorated with Jason Aldean memorabilia including signed set lists, magazine covers and cowboy hats. References to songs like "Big Green Tractor" can be found around the restaurant, including the giant tractor in the middle of the bar and neon signs on the walls.

An Aldean-themed gift shop is located near the bar.

The main menu includes entrees like the Chicken & Waffle, House Chopped Salad and "Tommy" Hawk Ribeye. Most items are $12-$29, with the ribeye priced at $79.

The rooftop has a horseshoe bar that wraps around to face the live music stage that features a large LED screen. A giant acoustic guitar looms overhead with its strings dangling.

The specialty menu includes drinks with names like the Wolf Moon Old Fashioned, Aldean's Margarita, Any Ol' Barstool and She's Country.

There's plenty of standing room while listening to bands, and the outdoor patio tables have views of the main drag through Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains.

There's also a karaoke bar called WannaB's to the right of the stage.

The ground floor features a Gatlinburg-themed gift shop and a Sun Diner. They're both operated by TC Restaurant Group.

Sun Diner is the second location for the restaurant inspired by Nashville's Sun Records and serves breakfast and lunch daily.

Aldean in May released "Try That In A Small Town," a song about "good ol' boys" taking matters in their own hands in response to actions like cussing out cops or stomping on the American flag.

The uproar didn't start until the music video was released July 14 because it featured images of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where a Black man named Henry Choate was lynched in 1927 and where the Columbia Race Riot occurred in 1946.

The video's production company TackleBox picked the location for the video and said Aldean didn't have a say in where it was filmed.

Country Music Television removed the video from its rotation a few days after the video's release.

Footage from the video has since been edited out, specifically a news clip showing Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Aldean's label Broken Bow Records said "third party copyright clearance issues" are why the footage was removed.

Knox News reporter Ryan Wilusz and The Tennessean contributed to this reporting.

Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at [email protected].

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