Photo by Greg Wood
Damon Lindner sports a T-shirt he was selling recently at Blue Chips. The message reflects the opinion of many Knoxvilians about former UT coach Lane Kiffin, but the message was a bit dicey for us to reveal the whole shirt.
Photo by Greg Wood
Former Blue Chips regular Lindsay Myers, a current server at the sports bar, tends to the needs of patrons such as Gevin Simpson, center, and Ryan Battle.
Photo by Greg Wood
Damon Lindner sports a T-shirt he was selling recently at Blue Chips. The message reflects the opinion of many Knoxvilians about former UT coach Lane Kiffin, but the message was a bit dicey for us to reveal the whole shirt.
KNOXVILLE — Blue Chips, a small sports bar packed into a shopping center near West Town Mall, breaks the mold of sports bars.
Most are predictable. They’re not very big, they have regulars, they serve beer and hot wings. They have TVs (airing, you guessed it, sports), they have darts, they have pool tables. You know every last aspect of the bar before setting foot inside. They’re a dime a dozen, especially in a college town, and especially in the South.
Seeing as how Knoxville’s both, we’re double-teamed by such venues.
Blue Chips has all of this, but it also has personality.
I get a kick out of the name, as it’s shared with an early ’90s movie starring Nick Nolte and Shaquille O’Neal. I suppose on some level I’m expecting a 24-year-old Shaq to bring me my next beer, even though I know that’ll never happen.
The bar exudes Southern atmosphere, mostly because it’s very NASCAR-oriented, which is particularly popular in the South. There’s plenty of Vols décor, as well. The atmosphere is laid-back, friendly.
On a recent Saturday night in the middle of NFL playoff season, my friends and I went to check the place out. We showed up at 8 p.m., and the bar was already wall-to-wall packed, though the crowd wasn’t particularly attached to the Colts/Ravens game airing at the time. I ended up grabbing the last table in the back of the room as it was the only spot left open.
People ranging in age from early 20s to late 50s gathered at the 10-or-so tables and sat at the bar, enthusiastically chatting amongst their friends. But anyone could easily strike up conversation with anyone else around, which is exactly what happened with us.
One waitress, Lindsay, ended up sitting at our table for a couple of minutes telling us about the bar. She confirmed that the bar is mostly regulars, even explaining that she got the job there by being a regular. They simply offered it to her after someone else quit. All the customers around said “hi” to her as they passed our table.
There was even one guy wandering around from table to table trying to sell his anti-Lane Kiffin T-shirts. I didn’t buy one, but at least he was nice enough to pose for a photo. The crowd got a kick out of his enthusiasm, as well.
The crowd at Blue Chips isn’t just a faceless, un-personable mass, it’s a handful of friends you haven’t met yet.
Seeing as how it’s tucked away in a shopping center next to the mall it doesn’t really bring in people who just stumbled down the block for some drinks. The people there are specifically out to have a good time, making it a more special-occasion type of bar, even if they go there frequently.
Blue Chips is off the beaten path but not obscure. It’s accessible, yet you don’t really end up there on accident. It has regulars, but newbies fit right in. As far as sports bars go, it has about everything you could ever want.
After watching the game for a good hour or so, drinking Fat Tire drafts, all of a sudden an emcee came on the PA. Sitting in the back of the room, we weren’t able to see much of the bar so we were confused. Shortly thereafter, the familiar sound of poorly synthesized karaoke tracks came pouring over the speakers.
Yes, a sports bar had karaoke on a Saturday night during the height of football season. Absurd, but very entertaining. Hearing someone sing ’90s one-hit-wonders while watching football is less grating than you might imagine. We didn’t really need to hear sports commentary, anyway.
Since Blue Chips is 21 and up, smokers are welcome, so beware if the smell of smoke bothers you. (Other bars are far worse, though.)
I’ve been looking for a new place to call my own, and I can easily see myself becoming a Blue Chips regular. Especially with only a few football games left this season and college basketball winding to a halt in the next two months.
One thing’s for certain — the Blue Chips crowd knows how to have a good time, and they’re happy to share it with you.
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