6 Ingles Habits That Give Away an East Tennessean

You’re low on gas, low on groceries, and short on patience for two stops.

At the Karns store in Knoxville and the Farragut store on Kingston Pike, one Ingles stop covers both.

Here are the Ingles habits that give away an East Tennessean.

1. Buying Store-Brand Milk

Ingles puts its Laura Lynn label on its milk, and the chain says that milk comes from local dairy farmers who don’t use artificial growth hormones.

So when you skip the national brand and carry home a Laura Lynn jug, that’s the pitch you’re buying.

If you shop an Ingles in eastern Tennessee, that jug may well have started at Milkco.

Milkco is the Ingles subsidiary in Asheville, North Carolina, and it supplies about 65% of the milk products Ingles supermarkets sell.

2. Gas Express Fill-Ups

Ingles has fuel stations at 106 of its stores.

Ingles calls them Gas Express and says its locations offer 24-hour pumps.

If you shop the Karns store on Oak Ridge Highway in Knoxville, you’ll see Gas Express listed on its page, and the Farragut store on Kingston Pike lists it too.

Farragut’s page lists a car wash as well, so you can wash your car on the same trip.

3. Apple Fritters

Ingles bakeries sell apple fritters that the company calls world famous and says it makes fresh every day.

If you grab one, the bakery nutrition table lists an apple fritter at 3 ounces and 450 calories.

The Karns, Farragut and Kingsport stores all list a bakery, and your store’s page will tell you whether yours does too.

4. Rotisserie Chicken

Ingles’ deli sells rotisserie chicken, homemade soups and party platters.

The deli’s nutrition page also lists a sesame chicken dinner and soups such as New England clam chowder.

The Karns, Farragut and Kingsport stores each list a deli, so you can look at your store’s page before you go.

Feeding a crowd?

Ingles has an online order form for deli party trays.

5. Curbside Pickup

Ingles lists curbside pickup for the Karns and Farragut stores, but the Kingsport page doesn’t.

Ingles says it will do the shopping for you and keep your groceries cool until you’re ready.

The Ingles app helps you find a store with curbside pickup, and it lets you tap items from the weekly ad into your cart.

Scan a barcode in the app and it adds that item to your cart too.

6. Advantage Card at the Register

Ingles gives you Advantage Card discounts only when you show the card to the cashier during the transaction.

You can show it any time before you pay, though.

If you forget the card, Ingles says store customer service can look up your card number by your phone number.

The app lets you pull up your Advantage Card and scan it at the register during checkout.

The card’s discounts also reach the chain’s fuel stations, according to its annual report.

Store Locations

Ingles had 21 supermarkets in Tennessee on September 27, 2025, and its annual report lists eastern Tennessee among the regions where its stores operate.

Only North Carolina (72), Georgia (64) and South Carolina (35) have more.

Ingles’ gluten-free store list names Tennessee stores in Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, Athens and Greeneville, among other towns.

If you shop the Karns, Farragut or Kingsport store, the posted hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., or 17 hours a day.

Store Brands

Ingles’ annual report names Laura Lynn and Harvest Farms as its most important store-brand trademarks.

Those store brands cover items such as bread, organic products, soft drinks and canned goods.

If you reach for a store brand, Ingles believes it’s giving you a value-priced alternative to national brands.

After Hurricane Helene

If you’re wondering whether Hurricane Helene hurt the Asheville milk plant, Ingles’ annual report says it took no physical damage.

Water was the trouble, and supply disruptions still hit the plant for about one month.

The water ban didn’t lift until November 2024, and Ingles says the outage affected its first quarter of fiscal 2025.

Two of the chain’s fuel stations were also temporarily closed due to the storm.

Pharmacy Hours by Store

If you fill prescriptions at Ingles, you’re using one of the 112 pharmacies the chain operated on September 27, 2025.