After more than four decades in the technology industry and a brief retirement period, Anthony Woods is taking on an entirely new kind of venture. He and his wife opened JTAP Kitchen at 3397 Summer Ave. in Memphis last week, marking the official start of a new career in a new industry.
While the eatery may have just debuted, Woods reflected with What Now Media in an exclusive interview about the work that has already gone into the venture to get to this point.
After over 40 years in IT, founding computer networking companies, overseeing online systems for large banks, and working in software engineering, management, and sales, Woods retired in 2020. But after a few years, he decided he wanted to pour his time into a passion project.
“My wife started looking for real estate opportunities, and my real estate agent found this restaurant. She brought us out here, we took a look at it, and saw the possibilities of it,” he explained.
That was back in March. The space that now holds JTAP Kitchen previously housed a taco restaurant, and it took about four months of work converting it into a high-end casual dining destination.
In addition to the construction efforts, there was also plenty to set up logistically before opening. And although this is his first venture in the F&B space, Woods’ IT background became an unexpected asset as he navigated the complexities of opening.
He began developing a restaurant management application, JTAP Ledger, creating something that offers the solutions he was seeking when first starting to put the business together. The system handles everything from vendor management and staff management to forecasting and helping reduce waste, and he plans to offer it to other business owners to help them organize all the moving parts of logistics and operations.
Additionally, he created a site for B2B and B2C service listings and reviews, called JTAP Community.
“We’re enabling our customers and our local business community to work together to support one another, and it’s all free,” Woods explained. “We’re very locally committed.”
With construction complete and all the operational outlets streamlined, JTAP opened for business on Wednesday, August 12. The response has been fantastic, with a soft opening event on Saturday getting a “standing ovation,” he said.
“Everyone loved it. They loved the food. They loved the atmosphere. We probably had around 40 people, and did a $35 deal where everyone sampled about 15 of our dishes,” he added. “Everyone raved about the food, the environment, the staff. We’re very proud.”
JTAP Kitchen’s menu is described as high-end casual rather than fine dining, with a menu featuring rack of lamb, ribeye steaks, as well as food platters, pastas, and burgers.
The restaurant currently operates during dinner hours, with plans to introduce weekend brunch and eventually lunch. Woods also hopes to create opportunities for local musicians and other talent, host community events, offer wine tastings and food-and-wine pairings, and potentially expand into additional areas of the property.
