There are several buildings in Dollywoods Jukebox Junction that pay tribute to the people and places of Dollys youth in downtown Sevierville. Reds Diner (actually Reds Café) is one of those. Heres the story: Paul Clevenger, nicknamed Red because of his red hair, built an eating establishment on Bruce Street in downtown Sevierville in 1946. Red’s Café was located between Cash Hardware and Bat Gibson’s Barber Shop. The menu offered a variety of short order items but it was Red’s hamburgers that made the place famous. When a family would come into the café and order a hamburger cut in half for the children, the good-hearted Red would look at the children and comment that they looked like they could eat a whole hamburger themselves and throw in an extra hamburger “on the house.” Red’s kind heart also extended to stray dogs. At any given time, several dogs taken in by Red could be seen lying around the café. According to Red, if the customers didn’t like the animals, they could simply leave. Cigarettes and burgers were 25 cents and Sodas and Charlie’s Fried Pies were 5 cents. Red never wrote down an order, he simply took the order and yelled to the kitchen. When the building was standing room only, he would lock the door until room could be made for others. After several decades on Bruce Street, Red’s Café relocated on Court Avenue, a half block from the Sevier County Court House. The new location offered a more limited menu of cheeseburgers, hamburgers, bacon and egg sandwiches, egg sandwiches. Ironically Red’s Café never served French fries. Lee Parton, Dolly’s father, was a regular customer at Red’s Café and Red served Dolly many hamburgers in her younger days. Red’s Diner, located in the Jukebox Junction at Dollywood, is a lasting tribute to Red Clevenger and Red’s Café
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 00:06:01 +0000
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