PINSPOTTING FEBRUARY 2025

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Feb 3, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

Pins & Pints Pinball Pub opens in Knoxville with 18 machines, upmarket pub concept, and weekly tournaments.

Summary

Pinball News reviews Pins & Pints Pinball Pub in Knoxville, Tennessee, a neighborhood bar that opened in July 2024 featuring 18 pinball machines ranging from a 1975 Gottlieb EM to modern Stern titles. Owner Thomas Noble, a Chicago native with hospitality and operations background, created an upmarket pub environment with curated food and beverage offerings, Sunday brunch service, and weekly pinball tournaments. The venue maintains machines to high standards and uses iScored for score tracking.

Key Claims

Pins & Pints Pinball Pub opened to the public in July 2024
high confidence · Direct statement in article opening
The venue houses 18 pinball games ranging from a 1975 Gottlieb 1-player EM (Abra ca Dabra) to a 2024 Stern (The Uncanny X-Men)
high confidence · Stated in gaming section with specific machine titles and years
Owner Thomas Noble is 39 years old, originally from suburban Chicago, with background in operations and supply chain management
high confidence · Direct quote from owner: 'I'm a 39-year-old...specialized in operations and supply chain management'
The space was formerly occupied by Paradise Que BBQ before P&P took over in March 2024
high confidence · Article states: 'In March 2024, P&P took over the space in the Emory Station Mall formerly occupied by Paradise Que BBQ'
P&P offers a Sunday brunch from 11:30am to 2:00pm with menu items like build-your-own omelettes, biscuits and gravy, and chicken and waffles
high confidence · Explicitly described in brunch section with specific times and menu items
The Bloody Beast cocktail costs $50 and is described as a 32-oz Bloody Mary with extensive food skewers
high confidence · Price and description explicitly stated in brunch cocktails section
Games are priced at 1 to 4 tokens per credit with attainable free game thresholds
high confidence · Stated in gaming section: 'games range from 1 to 4 tokens per credit. Free game thresholds are set to attainable levels'
P&P hosts a weekly pinball tournament on Sundays starting at 3:30pm with waived entry fees and $5 free tokens for first-time players
high confidence · Explicitly stated in weekly events section

Notable Quotes

“I've always thought owning a bar was part of the American dream. I grew up during the boom of video games. If it's a game, I'm all for it.”
Thomas Noble, owner of Pins & Pints @ Not specified — Establishes owner's motivation and background passion for games and hospitality
“We got burned out by the corporate life. We concluded that if we didn't leave Kentucky soon, we'd be there forever. We decided to move back to Tennessee and go after our lifelong dream of owning a bar.”
Thomas Noble @ Not specified — Explains the personal journey and decision-making that led to opening Pins & Pints
“Interestingly, the Abra ca Dabra was a big hit with the school-age children and their parents. This proves the old saying that what is old is new again.”
Pinball News reviewer @ Not specified — Observation about vintage machine appeal to younger demographics, validating the multi-generational appeal of classic pinball

Entities

Pins & Pints Pinball PublocationThomas NoblepersonAshley NoblepersonKnoxville, TennesseelocationThe Uncanny X-MengameAbra ca DabragameParadise Que BBQbusinessEmory Station MalllocationStern PinballcompanyGottliebcompanyiScoredproduct

Signals

?
business_signal: New pinball venue opened in secondary market (Knoxville, TN) with upmarket positioning, suggesting viable pinball bar business model expansion beyond major metros
high · Pins & Pints opened July 2024 in Knoxville with 18-game lineup, professional food/beverage operations, and organized weekly tournaments
?
community_signal: Venue implements player-friendly scoring system (iScored) with QR codes and attainable free game thresholds to encourage play
high · Article states: 'Each game has a QR code on the backglass to allow you to record your scores' and 'Free game thresholds are set to attainable levels'
?
community_signal: Vintage EM machines demonstrate multi-generational appeal in modern venue settings, attracting younger players
medium · 1975 Gottlieb Abra ca Dabra 'was a big hit with the school-age children and their parents' despite modern Stern machines available
?
event_signal: Pinball tournaments are integrated into regular weekly venue programming with low barrier to entry
high · Sunday weekly pinball tournament with waived entry fees and $5 free tokens for first-time players

Topics

Venue operations and business modelprimaryPinball machine selection and maintenanceprimaryFood and beverage serviceprimaryWeekly tournaments and community eventsprimaryVintage vs modern pinball machine appealsecondaryScore tracking technology (iScored)secondaryLadies night programmingsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.85)— Article is a favorable venue review highlighting quality execution across food, beverage, machine maintenance, and community programming. No criticism noted. Enthusiasm expressed for repeat visits.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

**Date:** February 2025 **Location:** Pins & Pints Pinball Pub, 1336 E Emory Rd, Knoxville, TN, USA **Phone:** +1 (865) 339-0029 **E-mail:** [[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection) Happy New Year 2025 or if you are one of our Chinese readers, “Gung Hay Fat Choy!” Please refer to the [Pinball Map](https://www.pinballmap.com/) for the latest [game lineup at this site](https://www.pinballmap.com/map/?by_location_id=23898). Photographs contained in this article show the games present on the day(s) of our visit. [Pins & Pints Pinball Pub](https://www.pinspints.com) opened to the public in July 2024 and has fast become one of NE Knoxville’s favorite social destinations. In March 2024, P&P took over the space in the Emory Station Mall formerly occupied by Paradise Que BBQ. The owners of Paradise Que decided to focus on their catering business and closed the restaurant. Repurposing the facility has worked well for owner Thomas Noble. The second-generation restaurant only needed some paint and a revamped bar to be ready for patrons. “*I’ve always thought owning a bar was part of the American dream,*” said the 39-year-old Noble. “*I grew up during the Ed Boon of video games. If it’s a game, I’m all for it.*” A native of suburban Chicago, Noble specialized in operations and supply chain management. Jobs sent him and his wife, Ashley, to places like Louisville, Lexington, Kentucky, and even Singapore for two years. “*We got burned out by the corporate life,*” Noble said. “*We concluded that if we didn’t leave Kentucky soon, we’d be there forever. We decided to move back to Tennessee and go after our lifelong dream of owning a bar.*” The idea behind Pins & Pints was to create the feel of a neighborhood pub while offering guests an upmarket variety of beverages, snacks, and meals. Thomas’ wife, Ashley, who has a hospitality and culinary arts background, has carefully curated a menu focusing on quality with pub food favorites. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PP_Marlee-scaled.jpg) Marlee took excellent care of us. We had wanted to visit P&P since their grand opening, but we were finally motivated to do so by their recently introduced brunch, served on Sundays from 11:30am to 2:00pm. P&P’s brunch menu offers standbys such as the build-your-own three-egg omelette, biscuits and gravy, as well as chicken and waffles. Their brunch menu thoughtfully offers healthier options such as Hipster Toast (Avocado toast) and the Hippie Bowl (granola, fresh fruit, and yogurt). For our brunch, we chose fairly traditional American comfort foods. Everything we ordered was tasty and served quickly with a smile. I felt their hot coffee was very tasty and satisfying. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PP-Bloody-Mary.jpg) The Bloody Beast P&P offers several special brunch cocktails, including the Bloody Beast, a 32-oz Bloody Mary topped with “enough food skewers to put you in a food coma.” Just so you know, this meal in a glass will set you back $50; why not get two? A bit more wallet-friendly is the Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini (Ketel One Vodka and Coffee Liqueur), which is a relative bargain priced at $14. Of course their draft and bottled beers and ciders are available at all times, including the popular Xul PB&J Mixtape. P&P’s regular menu has great pub favorites, such as the Monster Smash Burger, which consists of three beef smash patties, pepper jack cheese, two onion rings, bacon, diced jalapeños, and pub sauce. Most sandwiches come with a side of fried potatoes or chips. If you fancy something sweet, we suggest that you try P&P’s deep fried oreo cookies. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PP-Deep-Fried-Oreos.jpg) Deep fried Oreos – pure decadance After brunch, we played a few games on P&P’s immaculately maintained pin tables. Their lineup is currently 18 games, ranging from the very latest Stern (The Uncanny X-Men, 2024) to a very well-maintained Gottlieb 1-player EM (Abra ca Dabra, 1975). Interestingly, the Abra ca Dabra was a big hit with the school-age children and their parents. This proves the old saying that what is old is new again. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PP_Peeps-scaled.jpg) Quite a few young people were on hand for brunch. Credits are purchased with tokens; games range from 1 to 4 tokens per credit. Free game thresholds are set to attainable levels, so you don’t have to be a “Wizard” to play for a while with only a few tokens. The high scores are recorded and displayed with the iScored system. Each game has a QR code on the backglass to allow you to record your scores. In the gaming area, a token machine accepts bills, and if you have a pocket full of quarters, tokens are also available from the bartenders. ![](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Mon-Thurs-Sun-1024x303.png) Weekly events at P&P P&P hosts Monday Musical Bingo (Singo) nights hosted by DJ Knkt. A recent theme was Roller Skating Rink Music from the 1990s and 2000s. Prizes are gift certificates of various denominations. Keeping with the neighborhood pub vibe, there are two Bull Shooter soft-tip darts games. P&P hosts dart tournaments on Wednesdays that are open to players of all skill levels. Thursday is Ladies Night & Karaoke, hosted by DJ Knkt. On the first Thursday of each month, there is also a ladies’ pinball tournament. Sundays starting at 3:30pm is the P&P Weekly Pinball Tournament. First time players have their entry fee waived and are given $5 in free game tokens just for playing. We enjoyed our all-too-short visit to Pins & Pints. We hope to visit again soon to experience one of their tournaments or perhaps try our hand at Singo. If you find yourself in the Knoxville, TN, area, we feel it would be more than worth your time to stop by for a visit.