Sweet P's closing downtown Knoxville location
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — After 10 years in business, an iconic Knoxville barbeque restaurant is set to close.
Sweet P's Downtown Dive location is set to permanently close after service on Father's Day, June 15, 2025. While the barbeque restaurant at 410 W. Jackson Avenue will be closing, Sweet P's Uptown Corner in Fountain City will continue to operate, along with the catering kitchen at that location.
Babalu on Gay Street closing for the second time
A release from Sweet P's shared that business at Sweet P's Uptown Corner has increased in recent years, but business at the Downtown Dive has fallen. Additionally, owner Chris Ford pointed out that there has been an increase in competition in the downtown restaurant business.
'We are so grateful to our many customers who have supported us over the past 10 years,' Ford said. 'And I personally am proud of our hard-working and dedicated staff.'
Ford also shared that he is reaching out to fellow restaurateurs to seek out opportunities for employees at the Downtown Dive.
Inspector finds off temperatures, no sanitizer at Chinese restaurant in Morristown
Sweet P's was initially founded as a catering operation in 2005. Ford, a former musician and leader of rock bands Gran Torino and Tennessee Power & Light, started Sweet P's when he left the music business. The first Sweet P's restaurant opened in 2009, as Sweet P's Barbeque and Soul House in South Knoxville. The location closed down in 2021, the same year Sweet P's Uptown Corner opened on the corner of Tazewell Pike and Jacksboro Pike.
Sweet P's is the second restaurant in downtown Knoxville to announce it would be closing its doors in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, Babalu announced that it would be closing for the second time after nearly a decade on Gay Street.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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