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By Ryan Daggs
Long’Äôs Drug Store is not just a
pharmacy. Since 1956, the store’Äôs
soda fountain and luncheonette
has been the place to rendezvous
for generations of Knoxvillians.
DINING OUT
eat
PHOTOGRAPhy BY
jimmy chiarella
Frozen
in
Time
’ÄúMeet me at Long’Äôs.’Äù
That phrase, printed on every menu
at Long’Äôs Drug Store in Bearden, har-
kens back to an era when customers
would stand in line to use the tele-
phone at the back of the store and
spread the word about the latest lunch
hotspot. Fast-forward to today, and
while technology has cut the cords,
Long’Äôs remains a hub for coffee and
conversation among Knoxvillians.
A Family Matter
Hank Peck, Long’Äôs current owner,
remembers those days all too well. He
grew up in the drug store after its found-
er, Dr. Long, hired Peck’Äôs father in 1959. ’ÄúI
can remember coming in here when I
couldn’Äôt even see over the counter,’Äù says
Peck. His father and uncle bought Long’Äôs
when Dr. Long passed away and his
wife decided to sell the store. ’ÄúThey kept
the name ’ÄòLong’Äôs Drug Store’Äô because
everybody at that time knewDoc [Long],
and they knew howmuch he meant
to the community,’Äù says Peck.While
his 84-year-old father still works at the
pharmacy, Peck has held the reins as
Long’Äôs owner for 18 years.
Very little has changed under Hank
Peck’Äôs watch, including Long’Äôs menu
and low prices. ’ÄúWe’Äôve resisted a lot of
changes just from the simple thought
that we are different and we’Äôd like to
remain the way we are,’Äù says Peck.
The faces behind the counter haven’Äôt
changedmuch either. Ruth Pate, man-
ager of the soda fountain, has worked
at Long’Äôs for 34 years. Pate points to
Long’Äôs unique atmosphere as a cause
for its longstanding popularity, as well
as Peck’Äôs hospitality. ’ÄúIt’Äôs called being
spoiled,’Äù she jokes.
While the freshly cooked eggs and
old-fashionedmilkshakes contribute
to the nostalgic atmosphere that has
resulted in a crowd of regulars, don’Äôt
mistake Long’Äôs as just a place to eat.
’ÄúIt’Äôs not a restaurant,’Äù explains Peck.
’ÄúWe’Äôre a pharmacy with a fountain.’Äù
Orange Gravy
That same atmosphere, combined
with the lure of an affordablemeal, has
many UT students, including athletes,
dropping in for a bite to eat. Pate notes
that she serves plenty of hungryVolun-
teers, fromfootball and basketball players
to coaches (although she says new
football coach Butch Jones has yet to pay
a visit). On fall game days, the pharmacy
transforms into a pregame destination
for tailgaters.’ÄúThey pack it out,’Äù says Peck.
’ÄúI’Äôve been in herewhere fromtheminute
we open the door through 4 o’Äôclock p.m.
this placewas jam-packed.’Äù Peck’Äôs father
enjoysmaking his own contribution to
the celebration, too:’ÄúDad alwayswants
to do something fun, like put orange food
coloring in the gravy.’Äù
It’Äôs easy to see howPeck and his father
have developed close ties to the Knoxville
area after serving it for so long.’ÄúI feel
like this is probably the biggest kitchen
inWest Knoxville,’Äù he says.’ÄúItmakesme
proud to be in a place likewherewe are.’Äù
His employees havemade close con-
nections of their ownwith thosewho
regularly frequent the fountain.’ÄúThe girls
knowon different dayswhich groups
come in,’Äù says Peck.’ÄúIf they don’Äôt showup
they’Äôre calling themon the phone saying,
’ÄòHey is somebody sick?’Äô’Äù
Slow and Steady
Although times have changed since
Long’Äôs opened its doors in 1956, the soda
fountain still serves its original purpose:
to foster conversation among its custom-
ers through a fresh, hotmeal. If that
means running at a slower pace than the
outsideworld, Peck says, so be it.’ÄúWhen
people come in, if they’Äôre on their lunch
break and they’Äôve got 20minutes and it’Äôs
busy, they’Äôre in thewrong spot,’Äù he says.
Peck acknowledges thatmodern tech-
nologiesmake itmore difficult for people
to slowdown’Äîbut Pate believes Long’Äôs
audience has adapted to his uniqueway
of thought.’ÄúI still see people on their
phones and stuff,’Äù she says,’Äúbut not as
much in here as I see in other places.’Äù
’ÄúMaybe becausewe don’Äôt haveWi-Fi?’Äù
Peck suggestswith a laugh.
Long’Äôs Drug Store
4604Old Kingston Pike
(865) 588-9218
Hours:
M-F: 8 A.M.-8 P.M.
SA: 8 A.M.-6 P.M.
Hank Peck and his family have beenwelcoming guests
to the Long’Äôs lunch counter for more than 50 years.
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