Knoxville, the biscuits are moving downtown.
The Flying Biscuit Café has signed a lease at 327 W Summit Hill Dr SW — right in the middle of downtown Knoxville — with doors expected to open in September 2026. It’s the brand’s first downtown Knoxville café, and the person opening it is already a familiar name around town.
Chris Compton is going back for seconds
Chris Compton opened the first Flying Biscuit in Tennessee at 11683 Parkside Drive out in Turkey Creek on May 25, 2025. That one put the brand in the state for the first time. A little over a year later, he’s doing it again downtown.
And he’s not stopping at two. Compton expects to develop three to five cafés within about a 50-mile radius of Knoxville over the next five years. Before restaurants, he spent more than 20 years starting and running companies in finance, real estate development and technology consulting — so he’s built a few things before. This one just comes with grits.
Why this corner
Summit Hill puts the café in the center of the city, walking distance from offices, apartments and the University of Tennessee. That last part isn’t a coincidence. Compton swam at Tennessee, where he was an 11-time All-American and an SEC champion.
“Downtown has energy to it every day of the week, and there’s still room for a good breakfast in the middle of it,” said Chris Compton, owner of Flying Biscuit Café Knoxville. “I swam at Tennessee, so putting a restaurant here means something to me. Students, families, people who work downtown — we want all of them fed well and looked after.”
A patio, a full bar, and a plate you’ll need both hands for
The downtown café will have a patio and a full bar, which is a good combination for a city block in the spring.
Inside, it’s the menu Flying Biscuit fans already know: all-day breakfast, stuffed French toast, the famous shrimp and grits, big omelets, vegan scrambles, burgers and wraps. Mimosa flights, too, and the “Stage 5 Clinger” Bloody Mary. Nothing on that list has ever been described as a light lunch, and nobody has ever complained about that.
Built with the neighbors in mind
Compton also plans to work with Knoxville-area nonprofits through the downtown café, the same way he has around Turkey Creek. That’s the part that tends to matter most a year in — not the ribbon cutting, but who shows up for the neighborhood after it.
Hours and hiring details will be announced closer to opening. If you’re a local media or community partner, reach out to marketing@flyingbiscuit.com.
Downtown Knoxville café: quick facts
- Address: 327 W Summit Hill Dr SW, Knoxville, TN
- Expected opening: September 2026
- Owner/operator: Chris Compton
- Features: Patio and full bar
- Nearby: University of Tennessee campus, downtown Knoxville business district
- Owner’s other location: Flying Biscuit Café at 11683 Parkside Drive (Turkey Creek), open since May 2025
- Growth plan: Three to five cafés within roughly 50 miles of Knoxville over five years
About The Flying Biscuit Café
Founded in Atlanta in 1993, The Flying Biscuit Café has grown into a neighborhood staple known for all-day breakfast, cheerful service and comfort food with a twist. The brand serves tens of thousands of biscuits a week, caters events of all sizes, and currently has 43 locations open and 11 in development across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Texas.
Want one of these in your town?
Chris is on his second café and already mapping out three more. That’s usually a sign the model works — and there’s still open territory across the Southeast and beyond.
If you’re an operator who likes early mornings, full dining rooms and a brand people are already loyal to before you open the doors, we’d like to hear from you. Fill out the contact form and let’s talk about what a Flying Biscuit café could look like in your market.
