Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris and Allie Lyons.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My wife and I were celebrating Christmas with our family in 2015 when we all joked about opening up a restaurant, which has always been my lifelong dream.
Overnight that joke became more of a question of, can we open a restaurant? We sat down and started planning on a scrap piece of paper and quickly started to realize that we were going to do everything it took to make this dream a reality. My wife has an extensive background in business as well as marketing, so with my ideas and her knowledge we began putting together a business plan that we then presented to a local bank and to our surprise we were approved! At this point, we had found our location in the heart of downtown Cartersville. We knew the moment we walked in, that it was the right place for us even with its bright Quizno wallpaper and crumbling dry wall. With the banks approval, we began renovating with our family helping us in every way possible. We started designing the place with the recycled materials that we collected from my in-laws 18th century farm, including wood from old tobacco barns and tin from an old chicken coop. Things quickly started to come together and we felt the town beginning to get excited for us to open. The week before our opening date, September 1st, the place was still a wreck and people would laugh when we told them we had only a few days before we opened. Together as a family, we worked day and night until the place was perfection in our eyes. The day we opened, we trained our new staff members with only hours until open and we did it. We made it and while we felt defeated with exhaustion, the triumph was just beginning. Today, we have been open for over a year now and the success and support that we have received has been more than we could have ever imagined. Week in and week out my wife and I still work tirelessly to drive the success of Table 20. I am the full-time head chef, while my wife does all the marketing, web design and baking for the restaurant. We are constantly trying to incorporate new concepts and update the menu to keep our customers interested. This truly is just the beginning still and we look forward to the future that we have in Cartersville, as it has become home.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We don’t think that any restauranteurs would say that opening your own restaurant comes without obstacles. From when we began this journey to now, our biggest request would be that there are more hours in each day.
No matter how much we plan and schedule, our daily to-do list never seems to get completed and we always are adding more and more to it. Maybe we don’t need more hours, just a couple of clones!
Please tell us about Table 20.
Table 20 is a modern American restaurant that focuses on high-quality food, creative craft cocktails, an elaborate wine menu and an outstanding guest experience. We specialize in taking simple, fresh ingredients and turning them into innovative, flavorful dishes. We have daily specials and promotions such as Taco Tuesday, Wine Wednesday where we offer half of all bottles and Prime Rib Thursday. Sunday, we offer an extremely unique brunch that you will leave dreaming about. We have bottomless mimosas and Bellinis, as well as a Bloody Mary bar that won’t disappoint. While our food seems to speak for itself, our staff is by far what we are most proud of. Table 20 isn’t just a business, it is a family and we all lean on one another in every way imaginable. Our customers constantly give us the best feedback about the connection they see in our staff and their great customer service.
The most important thing that we want people to take from their experience at Table 20 is that we are a community restaurant. We source as many ingredients as possible from local vendors and farmers. We want to be the modern day “Cheers” of Cartersville where you come as you are, meet your neighbors and are treated as more than just a customer.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Each phase of this process has been such a huge learning experience and while mistakes have been made, we wouldn’t change our decisions because of how much we really have learned. Although, if we ever open another location *hint, hint* we will be going into this process with much more confidence!
Pricing:
- Taco Tuesday ($12 Taco Trio – Different Tacos Weekly)
- Wine Wednesday (HALF OFF all wine bottles)
- Prime Rib Thursday ($25 – 12oz Cut with Buttermilk Mash and Au Jus)
Contact Info:
- Address: 20 S Wall St.,
Cartersville, GA 30120 - Website: www.table-20.com
- Phone: 4703154851
- Email: table20cartersville@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/table20cartersville/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/table20cartersville/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/table-20-cartersville
- Other: https://www.opentable.com/r/table-20-cartersville
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
