Twenty-nine Knox County restaurants and food-service establishments earned perfect scores of 100 in the weekly health inspection reports published during October.
From neighborhood favorites and locally owned restaurants to familiar national chains, these establishments received top marks for food safety and sanitation.
KnoxTNToday’s monthly Perfect 100 feature recognizes local food establishments reported with the highest possible inspection score. This month’s list includes restaurants, coffee shops, a taproom and other food-service businesses.
October 1 report
- Central Flats & Taps — 1204 Central St., Knoxville
- Arby’s — 400 Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville
- Cook Out — 321 Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville
- Wendy’s — 331 Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville
- Shoney’s — 343 E. Emory Road, Powell
- Arby’s — 608 E. Emory Road, Powell
- Five Guys Burgers & Fries — 7531 Barnett Way, Powell
- Sonny’s Original Southern Pub — 2613 Adair Drive, Knoxville
October 8 report
- McAlister’s Deli — 2758 Schaad Road, Knoxville
- Cocina Y Tienda Mexicana — 7217 Clinton Highway, Knoxville
- Gus’s Fried Chicken — 126 Lovell Road, Knoxville
- China Lee — 8643 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville
- Maco’s Tacos — 4421 Western Ave., Knoxville
- Bojangles — 7505 Oak Ridge Highway, Knoxville
October 15 report
- Aubrey’s Restaurant — 214 E. Emory Road, Powell
- Abridged Burger Company — 4528 Market Bell Way, Powell
- Buddy’s Bar-B-Q — 5806 Kingston Pike, Knoxville
- Tsukimi Knoxville — 133 Brooklawn St., Knoxville
- Irvey’s Ice Cream Company — 3000 Tazewell Pike, Knoxville
October 22 report
- Pour Taproom — 201 W. Jackson Ave., Knoxville
- Chismoso — 131 S. Gay St., Knoxville
- Krystal — 2815 N. Broadway, Knoxville
- McDonald’s — 7134 Oak Ridge Highway, Knoxville
- Jackson Brown Chicken & Fish — 1518 University Ave., Knoxville
October 29 report
- Five Guys Burgers & Fries — 2032 Town Center Blvd., Knoxville
- Taco Bell — 1982 Town Center Blvd., Knoxville
- McDonald’s — 322 Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville
- Panda Express — 155 Cedar Bluff Road, Knoxville
- Remedy Coffee — 800 Tyson St., Knoxville
What does a perfect score mean?
Restaurant health inspections evaluate food handling, temperature controls, sanitation, employee hygiene, food storage and other food-safety requirements.
A score of 100 means no points were deducted during that inspection. It reflects conditions observed at the time of the visit and does not guarantee that conditions will remain unchanged.
Congratulations to these 29 Knox County establishments and their employees for earning top marks!
Readers can search individual inspection records through the Tennessee Department of Health inspection database.
Source: WATE 6 On Your Side, Food for Thought weekly restaurant inspection reports published in October 2026. Establishments listed were reported with scores of 100; individual inspection types were not independently verified.
OUR TOWN. YOUR NEWS.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and TikTok.
Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter. Comments may be sent to news@knoxtntoday.com.
