Group’s restaurants treat guests as special
BEST MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe >> FINALIST: BEST PATIO DINING, BEST DATE-NIGHT ACTIVITY, BEST APPETIZERS AND BEST COCKTAILS Cypress Social >> FINALIST: BEST FINE DINING, BEST BAR, BEST COCKTAILS AND BEST HAPPY HOUR Petit & Kee
The lineup of JTJ Restaurants includes a little something to satisfy many different tastes, and if the company’s showing in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s 2023 Best of the Best voting is any indication, diners can’t go wrong with any one of the locations.
The accolades include Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe, which was voted Best Mediterranean Restaurant. Cypress Social, a purveyor of upscale Southern cuisine, was a finalist in four categories: Best Patio Dining, Best Date-Night Activity, Best Appetizers and Best Cocktails. Not to be outdone, the company’s fine-dining spot, Petit & Keet, earned four finalist honors: Best Fine Dining, Best Bar, Best Cocktails and Best Happy Hour.
“These awards are a tribute to our staffs,” said Jim Keet, chairman of JTJ Restaurants. “They care about our guests and they have a commitment to excellence that’s second to none. As a result, our restaurants are doing great, we enjoy good staff retention, and we’re excited about the future.”
Keet said that as different as the menus may be, there are certain foundational underpinnings that are consistent in each of JTJ’s establishments.
“The thing we hold in common is that we try to treat every guest as if they are the most special person on this planet,” he said. “We always strive, across all of our restaurants, to provide guests with outstanding food, outstanding service, great cleanliness and staff members who really care about the guest experience.”
Keet said that while awards are nice, the true measure of the public’s acknowledgment has been on ready display over the past few years, when COVID, supply-chain issues and even tornado damage put restaurants in peril. He said the fact that sales were up across all of his restaurants shows the ironclad commitment and customer loyalty to JTJ eateries, for which he and his employees are most grateful. He also said such support is one thing that the company has tried to reciprocate within the community.
“We have such a close relationship with our guests because we’re involved in so many community activities — everything from supporting our military, first responders and police to a variety of worthwhile charities in virtually every sector,” he said. “We’re just very blessed, and we try to return the favor, and we try to be generous with our bottom line so that we’re always trying to find a way to say ‘yes’ to such requests. Saying ‘yes’ has just become part of our culture.”