Copper Cellar | 7 dining experiences Chase offered at Copper Cellar and Chesapeake’s. Seeking to establish the fledgling brand in an unmistakably visible manner, the ownership team packed up the necessary supplies and headed to Cleveland to take part in a “Best Ribs in America” competition, where it felt a reputation was there to be made via head-to-head competition. By the time they returned to Knoxville – as the event’s champion – the goal had been reached. “When they came back, the news was all over that they’d been named the best ribs in America,” Fricks says. “All the TV stations covered it and things went kind of crazy. This was before social media and all that. People’s attentions were much more focused. And it took off after that. People were more in tune. It was a more profitable business model than the steakhouse and we did very good volumes. “ “When you’re on a roll with something, you roll with it and you go with it. That’s what we did.” These days, the family has grown to 16 restaurants, which includes eight Calhoun’s locations, two Copper Cellars,
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