Arby’s Hat Sign Tour of Knoxville, Tennessee
Arby’s Original Hat Sign: Giant 10-Gallon Icons of Knoxville, Tennessee
Okay, friends. Let’s talk about this fantastic roadside beast. Give a big, warm “howdy” to your old friend, the original Arby’s 10-gallon cowboy hat neon sign. Since Leroy and Forrest Raffel founded their western-theme restaurants in the mid-1960s, the neon and bulb big hat sign has been a welcoming beacon on the American roadside.
Now, if you’re, shall we say ~ of a certain age, seeing these big suckers dotted around the commercial landscape may have been pretty common to you. Even if you weren’t a fan of roast beef (or as we say in this house, “gross beef”) the signs were always eye-catching.
But as with many things we see often enough, their presence may have faded into the background. We can take for granted what becomes familiar. So much so, that we also may not notice right away when such cultural touchstones fade away altogether.
How many times have you said, “ I wonder whatever happened to…” about something from your childhood environment?
Knoxville, Tennessee is an Original Arby’s Hat Sign Hotbed
These days, the two-sided 10-gallon western cowboy hat sign isn’t so common. The wonderfully whimsical flavor it brought to the American roadside has been largely replaced with sanitized, yawn-worthy plastic. I’ve read that there are maybe 100 total vintage Arby’s signs left in the wild.
But, hold on to your hat because Knoxville, Tennessee has four hat signs. That’s right, four.
It wasn’t until started regularly driving around the city that I had any idea there were so many here. In fact, when I didn’t fully have my bearings I thought I kept passing the same sign.
With this vintage signage treasure so readily available here in Knoxville, the only right thing to do was set off to document what’s what. What was still illuminated? How much was illuminated? Did they have chasing lights around their edges? You know – important stuff!
And so – that’s what I did in the summer of 2025. Here’s what I found.
Photos & Highlights from the Knoxville Arby’s Hat Sign Tour
Arby’s Hat Sign – Chapman Highway
The internet-famous “Jungle Arby’s” of South Knoxville. This location earned with nickname because it sits nestled in front of a jungle of kudzu. Hell, it’s so jungley it even made the local paper.
Where to find this sign: 2819 Chapman Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37920
 Chapman Highway, Knoxville – Facing WestThe unlit ‘S’ May 2025 |  Chapman Highway, Knoxville – Facing EastPerfection! May 2025 |
Arby’s Hat Sign – Clinton Highway
Where to find this sign: 5228 Clinton Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37912
 Clinton Highway – Side 1 “wich” unlit May 2025 |  Clinton Highway – Side 2 “Is Deli” unlit May 2025 |
Arby’s Hat Sign – Magnolia Ave
Where to find this sign: 2657 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914
The lights around the edge of the Magnolia sign did not chase. They just remained steadily lit. Plus, the letter lighting pattern on the sign struck me funny. It seemed to be lit in a sing-songy cadence, almost like a cheer.
“Roast… Beef. ROASTBEEF! Roast… Beef. ROASTBEEF!“
 Magnolia – Side 1 “Sand” unlit May 2025 |  Magnolia – Side 2 “Sand” unlit May 2025 |
Arby’s Hat Sign – North Broadway
This hat is in what is called the Fountain City part of Knoxville. I see this one most often and can’t resist taking it’s picture just about every single time. I’ve got something of a regular sign watch going; keeping track of how the old boy is doing.
Where to find this sign: 4849 N Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37918
Fountain City: Arby’s Hat Sign Watch – May 2025
 N. Broadway – Fountain City – Side 1 “Roast Beef” is unlit May 2025 |  N. Broadway – Fountain City – Side 2 “Roast Beef” is unlit May 2025 |
Fountain City: Arby’s Hat Sign Watch – August 2025
In just a few short months, between May and August of 2025, the “s Delicious” lettering joins the “Roast Beef” in being out on the N. Broadway, Fountain City sign on one side.
Fountain City: Arby’s Hat Sign Watch – February 3, 2026
Another submission for my Fountain City Arby’s sign watch. Following snow and then pouring rain over the weekend into the week, when I passed the Arby’s sign on N. Broadway – sadly more lettering was out on one side. Sure, this is a terrible picture, but the news isn’t so great either so it seemed fitting. I’m crossing my fingers that whoever owns this location gives the big guy some love in the coming year.
Fountain City: Arby’s Hat Sign Watch – February 7, 2026
In just mere days, DAYS! the Fountain City hat sign has the full Arby’s name relit again. Boy, watching this sign is an emotional roller coaster!
“s Delicicious” and “Roast Beef” is still out on the other side.
A Slight Detour
When I first moved to Knoxville, my Roku TV screensaver actually featured an Arby’s hat sign! Coincidence? Targeted advertising? Mind reading? Perhaps we shouldn’t know and just enjoy it for what it was.
2025 Knoxville Arby’s Hat Sign Tour Field Notes:
- All four signs did light up.
- No two signs lit the same way.
- Only one sign had a side that lit fully. (Chapman Highway)
- One did not have chasing lights bulbs around the hat edge. (Magnolia)
- One had a unique Roast Beef lighting pattern. (Magnolia)
Where to Find the Arby’s Ten Gallon Signs in Knoxville:
- 2657 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914
- 4849 N Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37918
- 5228 Clinton Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37912
- 2819 Chapman Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37920
More Stories about the 10 Gallon Hat From Around the Web
Arby’s in a jungle.
byu/HumidToku inpics
When I was a kid…. summer before 4th grade, probably 1981, I VERY much remember the big 10-gallon hat sign when my dad first took me to an Arby’s. After all, we didn’t have those up in Yankee-land! (And I love Arby’s. Wife doesn’t. So when we’re apart, that’s one of the first places I go for a quick bite to eat.)
What a great memory 🙂 Thanks for sharing it.
Sorry, wasn’t clear. Moved from Vermont to Amarillo, Texas.