Mt. Juliet's Courtney's Restaurant closes with staff shortage. Who will be the next user?

Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean
·2 min read

An established local Mt. Juliet restaurant has closed, at least in part, because of a staffing shortage.

T.J. Courtney’s Restaurant and Catering at 4066 N. Mt. Juliet Road announced the decision in late December on social media. “Due to extenuating circumstances and staffing issues we will be temporarily closed,” the post said.

But Courtney’s Restaurant won’t reopen at the location it has operated at for more than a decade, according to Mark Lineberry of Lineberry Properties, which owns the building on Mt. Juliet’s north side.

The closure also coincides as the longtime operator and face of the business serves a jail sentence in Davidson County, according to court records.

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Courtney's Restaurant in Mt. Juliet has closed, according to the building owner.
Courtney's Restaurant in Mt. Juliet has closed, according to the building owner.

Lineberry has been in discussions with potential users of the building space, which is about 6,500 square feet. He expects another restaurant to use the space, but with a different concept than a meat and three.

“A major facelift” is also expected for the space, Lineberry said.

Lineberry was informed by ownership representatives that the restaurant "couldn't find people to work."

Efforts to reach representatives with Courtney’s were unsuccessful. The restaurant opened in 2010, according to records from the Mt. Juliet business office.

Courtney’s Restaurant was the site of numerous community events, including fundraisers, political gatherings and numerous organizational meetings over the years.

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Outside the former Courtney's Restaurant space in Mt. Juliet.
Outside the former Courtney's Restaurant space in Mt. Juliet.

“In its day it was a great location for so many different things,” Mt. Juliet City Commissioner Ray Justice said. “It was a great place for meetings and a great place to go and meet neighbors and hang out. We’re very fortunate that we have some other locations that have stepped up and given us a quality location.”

The restaurant's operator has had multiple legal charges through the years, according to records. The restaurant operator received a jail sentence of 11 months and 29 days on Dec. 6 in Davidson County, court records state.

The sentence includes some two-for-one and time-already-served credits that reduces the total sentence to 161 days, according to Davidson County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Jon Adams.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mt. Juliet's Courtney's Restaurant closes, staffing issues cited