He lost it all and went to jail. How a Middle Tennessee restaurateur is making a comeback
Tom Courtney seems at ease and smiles a lot, even when he's talking through the uncertainty that goes along with opening a restaurant on the heels of a global COVID-19 pandemic.
The 54-year-old is ready for a fresh start professionally and personally, and he's quick to admit that he's a work in progress as he tries to put his legal troubles and recent jail time behind him.
The well-known restaurant operator is working hard to re-establish himself and he says he's on track to reopen TJ’s Pizza & Wine at Mt. Juliet’s City Center, 1722 North Mt. Juliet Road, he hopes sometime this month.
Until its closure in late 2021, T.J.’s Pizza was part T.J. Courtney’s Restaurant and Catering on North Mt. Juliet Road. It spent more than a decade as a city landmark on the north side of town.
Open since 2010, the former Courtney’s Restaurant was a venue for numerous community events, fundraisers, political gatherings and organizational meetings. The business made Courtney a well-known figure in the community.
The Paper Mill now operates in that space.
Staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic were cited on social media as the reason the restaurant closed. Courtney was also serving jail time in Davidson County when the restaurant stopped operating.
Alcohol dependency has been to blame for Courtney’s legal problems, which have included DUI charges, he said.
He was released from the Davidson County Jail in May 2022 after serving a sentence of less than six months, according to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.
“The mistakes I’ve made in the past were related to stress and realizing my coping skills were not what they needed to be,” Courtney said. “Putting Christ number 1 in my life has made the difference. Everything else falls in line.”
Blake West, who worked with Courtney for years, will help manage the new TJ’s Pizza.
The customer base and “people” who have supported Courtney in the past “keep me confident” in TJ’s Pizza and Courtney, West said. Courtney has been involved in other food service businesses and has cooked since he was 11.
TJ’s Pizza will seat about 40 people in the space at City Center. It was previously used by Pho Lee.
Delivery will be offered, and TJ’s will visit areas like LaGuardo and along State Route 109, the Saundersville Ferry Road area in northwest Wilson County, parts of Gladeville and areas off Central Pike — all areas Courtney believes there is a need for.
“He has been a restaurant owner for decades and has always run a good business, and I’m happy he’s having the opportunity to start again,” said Mark Lineberry, of Lineberry Properties, overseer of the City Center.
Pizza will be cooked on a stone pizza oven. TJ’s will offer traditional pizzas and specialties like Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Cajun Pizza and a hot chicken pizza as well as a variety of wings.
A wine selection will also be offered at some point “soon” after the business opens, Courtney said.
Eventually, Courtney said he would like to bring back a full-service restaurant and do it in the Mt. Juliet/Old Hickory area.
“This place is an amazing place," Courtney said. "It’s full of amazing people.”
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Middle Tennessee pizza shop owner plans comeback after jail time
