At McAlister’s Deli, we aim to exceed expectations by always giving our guests that little something extra. We believe what sets us apart is our genuine hospitality and our willingness to go the extra mile, and we wanted to share a couple recent examples of that. 

First we have a story from our Turkey Creek store, where a girl was surprised with a cake on her 7th birthday, which was in April. Read the details in the snapshot below:

Next is a story from our Roanoke store. In April of this year, our team at Roanoke, in coordination with the office of Scott County Commonwealth's Attorney Marcus F. McClung, provided and delivered a meal to caregivers of a child at Roanoke Hospital. Read additional details below in a letter we received from Marcus F. McClung and his staff:

We're proud of Preston and the Turkey Creek team and Louis and the Roanoke team. By putting a smile on our guests' faces and being aware of community members' needs, they represented what Peak Restaurants and McAlister's Deli are all about.

BRISTOL, TN – McAlister's Deli® is thanking guests on Thursday, June 21st with its 10th Annual Free Tea Day. McAlister’s locations across the country are treating guests to a free 32-ounce glass of McAlister's Famous Tea. Guests can choose between iced sweet or unsweet black tea. McAlister’s tea is a labor of love, steeped with Rainforest Alliance Certified™ premium tea leaves and served with its famous red straw.
 
“Free Tea Day is always our favorite day of the year,” said Chris Smith, Co-Owner of Peak Restaurants, which operates McAlister’s Delis in Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee.
 
“And this year’s Free Tea Day, a tradition enjoyed by our guests and team members each year, is even more special,” added Co-Owner Jeff Shawl. “June 21st will be our 10th year celebrating Free Tea Day. We are thrilled to once again share our Famous Sweet Tea and the sense of community that the day brings to both our guests and our team members. It really is a special day and we encourage everyone to come enjoy it with us!”
 
The first 10 adults and 10 kids in line at the restaurant on June 21st will receive, in addition to free tea, a limited edition 2018 Free Tea Day t-shirt.
 
Throughout National Iced Tea Month, fans are also encouraged to submit their cheers-worthy moments with the hashtag #CheersTo10Years. The winner, announced on Free Tea Day, will receive ten years of free McAlister’s tea. For full contest details and to view contest entries, guests can visit McAlistersDeli.com/FreeTeaDay.
 
To learn more about the event, visit your local McAlister’s Facebook page or www.peakrestaurants.com/free-tea-day.

Knoxville, TN. (May 28, 2018) — Peak Restaurants' McAlister’s Deli in Fountain City was recently awarded the Commercial Restoration Award by the Fountain City Town Hall. McAlister's received the award in recognition of its restoration and reuse of a longstanding commercial building in Fountain City.

The building, located at 2885 Tazewell Pike, previously housed a CiCi's Pizza but had been vacant for years prior to the McAlister's development. The restaurant's grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony, pictured below, was in January of 2018. 

The award was presented at a community awards ceremony held on Memorial Day—May 28, 2018—in Fountain City Park during the 43rd annual Honor Fountain City Day. Council members, local business people, reporters, and politicians, including former Governor of Tennessee Phil Bredesen, were in attendance. Josh Bisig, Fountain City McAlister's General Manager, accepted the award. 

For more information about our Fountain City location, click here.  ​

Knoxville, TN (May 18, 2018) — Peak Restaurants participated in Knox County School's Dine Out for Education event last month, donating proceeds from each of Peak's four Knox County McAlister's Delis.

Dine Out for Education is an annual event hosted by Knox County Schools. Participating restaurants donate 10% of the day's sales to the Partners in Education program, which is dedicated to both expanding educational opportunities for students in Knox County and facilitating a deeper understanding of the school system in the community. 

Peak was able to donate more than $2,000 to Partners in Education last month as a result of the event. 

This is the restaurant group's 4th time participating in Dine Out for Education. Since 2015, Peak has donated more than $5,000 to Knox County Schools' Partners in Education program. 

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Learn more about Dine Out for Education here. 
​Learn more about Partners in Education here. 

McAlister's Deli restaurants across the country welcomed guests to nominate the TEAcher in their community they thought deserved to be honored! We are excited to announce the winners chosen from the nominations at each of our restaurants who have been recognized as an Outstanding Educator in each community. Click on their names to see photos of the presentation and read about why they were nominated and won!

• Alcoa, TN: Kristy Noda, Maryville High School
• Blacksburg, VA: Crystal Fentress, Christiansburg Primary School
• Johnson City, TN: Guy McAmis, David Crockett High School
• Kingsport, TN: Kristen Duncan, John Sevier Middle School
• Knoxville, TN (Deane Hill): Melanie Norsworthy, Rocky Hill Elementary
• Knoxville, TN (Fountain City): Sandy Morris, Green Magnet Academy and Roxanne Cabrera, Carter High School
• Knoxville, TN (Schaad Road): Steve Hamer, Apostolic Christian School
• Knoxville, TN (Turkey Creek): Melinda Webster, Farragut Primary School
• Lynchburg, VA: Mildred Crist, Linkhorne Middle School
• Oak Ridge, TN: Katelynn Olvey, Woodland Elementary School and Stacy Moody, Pine View Elementary
• Pigeon Forge, TN : Sherri Breazeale, Pigeon Forge Middle School
• Roanoke, VA: Myra Wasson, Fallon Park Elementary