After almost 40 years, Fannie Farkle’s General Manager Laurie Ross is as passionate about Fannie Farkle’s today as when she sold her first Ogle Dog back in 1987.
“I love meeting all the people—the generations of families—who visit Fannie Farkle’s,” she says. “I’ve grown over the years with the customers—many of whom I’ve known for decades and who now bring their children and their grandchildren.”
Today, as general manager, Laurie buys merchandise, oversees scheduling, handles hiring—“if something needs be done, I’ll do it,” she says.
Laurie’s family has roots that go back generations in Pigeon Forge—and she started working at Fannie Farkle’s during her senior year of high school for former owner Marion Paul. “I loved working for Marion,” she says. “Marion gave her employees an opportunity to grow. I’ve been lucky, though, because the new owners, Jim and Matt Knowles, are great, and they are reinvigorating Fannie Farkle’s with fresh ideas.”
Some things, however, never change. “I will always love the Ogle Dog and the Sausage Subs,” she says.
