JC's Family BBQ owners set sights on Harrison restaurant's future

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Jim Johnson and his wife, Jean, co-owners of JC's Family BBQ in Harrison, stand in the restaurant's dining room.

Name: JC's Family BBQ

Owners: Jim and Jean Johnson

Location: 9070 Highway 58, Harrison

Opened: October 2012

Service: From homemade cobblers to country fried steak and okra, JC's Family BBQ serves up a range of lunch and dinner options. Jim and Jean dish out about 250 meals on a Friday night and have seating for just over 130 people. The restaurant also does catering and to-go orders. "In my opinion, my ribs will make you want to slap your mama," Jim said.

Prices: $5 to $12 a meal

Staff: 15

How it got started: Jean has been in the restaurant business for decades and spent nine years working at Two Pigs Barbecue. After Two Pigs closed, Jean and Jim leased the building, renovated it and reopened as JC's Family BBQ. Jean handles the cooking and kitchen staff, while Jim deals with the vendors and finances.

Initial investment: $30,000

Two-year goal: Jim and Jean have a two-year lease on the building. The pair hopes to buy it when that lease runs out. To do that, they need to increase their customer base. "If our growth continues to trend the way it's been in the first quarter - I've seen consistent growth every week - if we can maintain our growth, I think we'll certainly be on track," Jim said.

Yankee transplants: Jim and Jean moved to Tennessee in 1988 from New Jersey. "We may be from the North," Jim said, "but I like to tell people that we're dug in like a couple ticks on a coon hound. And you'd never hear a Yankee say that."

Phone number: 423-485-3481