Yassin's Falafel House in Knoxville was named the nicest place in America on Good Morning America on Thursday as a part of a contest sponsored by the show and Reader's Digest.
Yassin was live on the show to accept the title with Robin Roberts, who had made a visit to Knoxville earlier this year and spoke with Mayor Madeline Rogero for the show.
The restaurant had made it into the top 10 for the contest back in June. The public was asked to vote for the nicest place in the country, which Reader's Digest described as a place "where trust and civility are winning and everyone is treated with dignity and respect."
Yassin's was up against places from all over the country, ranging from Washington state to Baltimore, Maryland.
The reason that the falafel house was originally named to the list was because of Yassin Terou's unique story.
He came to Knoxville as a refugee of the Syrian conflict. He started out making sandwiches at his local mosque until his friends talked to him about opening up his first restaurant.
Terou welcomes people from all walks of life. He hires other refugees so that they can get the same life-changing opportunity that he had.
Terou has helped the Knoxville community through donations and his efforts. During the Gatlinburg wildfires, Terou helped provide supplies for those who had been displaced from their homes.
Another Tennessee spot won the designation in last year's contest. Gallatin, Tennessee, a town to the northeast of Nashville, was named the nicest place in America in 2017 because it's "a town of Southern charm, a town of giving and charity, a town of faith, prayer and an earnest desire to do better," Reader's Digest said.