For knoxville:
Sadly, its a pretty bad town
I'm a big fan of the Apple Barn in Pigeon Forge.
For knoxville:
Sweet Pea's BBQ
Stock and Barrel (awesome burgers and bourbon)
Knox Mason
Sadly, its a pretty bad food town but these places are solid.
IIRC, there are a fuckton of pancake joints in that area, like Williamsburg, VA level.
Truth
I can't speak for the 3 places you mentioned, but I've probably spent a dozen weekends in Knoxville (although that was generally from 10-5 years ago, so maybe it's better) and never eaten at a "better than adequate" place. For that matter, pretty much all of Eastern, TN (not as familiar with the western 2/3 of the state) is like that. Crappy family diners and chain restaurant after chain restaurant.