KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Pal Barger, the founder of Pal's Sudden Service, died at 90 years old on Thursday. Officials said that his health was declining for two years before his death.
He built the first Pal's location in downtown Kingsport in 1956, and the business grew to 30 locations across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The chain serves burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and breakfast food.
It earned the Baldrige National Quality Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce and two Excellence Award from Tennessee's Center for Performance Excellence, according to a release from officials.
“His model for training and empowering his employees to have confidence in themselves created four generations of productive citizens across the country," said Thom Crosby, Pal's CEO.
The restaurant has more than 1,300 employees in the region, officials said.
Barger was a member of the East Tennessee State University Foundation and the Roan Scholars Leadership Program Committee. He also earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
He also bought an abandoned downtown building in Kingsport for Northeast State Community College's Pal Barger Regional Center for Automotive Programs. In July 2019, he was given the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Philanthropy from the Tennessee Board of Regents.
“Pal’s wit and ability to focus on the important things in life was a real asset to Kingsport and the region," said Dennis Phillips, the former Kingsport Mayor and a friend of his. "His legacy will live on for many decades ahead. We will miss him."
