Orchard Foods Limited, a division of Stokely Hospitality Enterprises, has opened a fourth “world famous” Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant in Gatlinburg.
The original Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant opened in July of 1987 and is constructed from an original farmhouse dating from 1921. Sevier County, Tennessee, which includes Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, serves as the entrance community to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is well known for being the home of country legend Dolly Parton and her Dollywood Theme Park. Over 10 million visitors pass the restaurant’s doors each year to vacation in the most visited national park in the county.
Officials said, "Many of our guests return year after year to enjoy our country fresh menu featuring our famous homemade apple fritters, apple butter and apple julep."
In 2003, The Knoxville News Sentinel named the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant “The Best Restaurant in East Tennessee."
Living up to the restaurant’s motto, “one great dining experience after another”, Orchard Foods Limited opened a second restaurant in the spring of 1995 on the Applewood Farms just east of the original Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. The Applewood Farmhouse Grill incorporates some lighter fare menu items such as country style salads and sandwiches with its traditional Applewood entrees such as chicken and dumplings, country fried steak, and chicken pot pie.
Officials said, "Topping off these wonderful meals, guests enjoy our mouth watering homemade cobblers and chocolate fudge cake. Applewood Farmhouse Restaurants serve more than 80,000 homemade apple fritters on any given weekend during the peak season from July through November. The apple fritters are served with homemade apple butter that is made fresh daily on the Applewood Farm. The restaurants also greet each guest with its refreshing Applewood Julep, a mixture of four fruit juices that compliments the country comfort food menu."
The third Applewoods Restaurant was acquired in December 2002 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Applewoods Restaurant has recently been awarded the Daily Oklahoman’s Reader’s Choice Award for “Top Choice for American Food and Brunch”. In addition to the popular country style Sunday brunch, guests in the heart of beef country enjoy from the main menu such items as slow roasted beef burgundy and hand-cut steaks.
The fourth Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant has just opened in Gatlinburg. The guests at the Gatlinburg restaurant can enjoy dining in a spacious glass enclosed dining room overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is not uncommon for guests to see the beautiful wildlife that live in the Smoky Mountains, such as deer and black bear.