Making it in the restaurant business is not for the faint of heart.
Cash flow problems, competitive pressures and staffing issues must be carefully managed everyday just to make ends meet. Given the thin margins that most eateries operate on, there is little room for error, leaving many restauranteurs feeling like they are walking daily tightwires.
When confronted with an unexpected disaster such as a fire, many restaurants do not have the resources to recover, and they ultimately go out of business. Add in an extended shutdown due to a global pandemic, and things only get worse. Finally, throw a devastating tornado into the mix, and you enter the world of Jolly Ollie’s Pizza and Pub.
Since 2019, Jolly Ollie’s owners Dilya Knight has experienced each of these catastrophic situations, only to rebuild and reopen time and time again. During each occurrence, things appeared very bleak for the veteran restauranteur.
“It was not easy dealing with the aftermath of the fire and the lengthy pandemic shutdown,” recalls Dilya Knight. “However, through a lot of hard work and community support, we were able to recover and reopen.”
Just when Covid began to subside, and things started to get back to normal, here came Dec. 9, 2023. On that stormy Saturday night during the midst of the holiday season, the unexpected occurred once more. At approximately 5 p.m. that evening, a massive 400-yards-wide EF-2 tornado brought havoc and destruction to the City by the Lake as it carved out a swath of ruin that stretched from Madison to Gallatin.
In the hours and days following the tornado, the scale of destruction gradually emerged. Many homes along the path of the twister experienced significant damage, along with over 130 local businesses. Most of the businesses that were impacted were located on or adjacent to Nashville Pike, including Jolly Ollies. The beloved restaurant had once again suffered severe damage, with much of the structure rendered nearly unrecognizable.
As she surveyed the damage, Dilya soon realized that once again she was going to be in for a long and challenging rebuilding process. However, her previous experiences in recovering from the 2019 fire and surviving the pandemic closure period had taught her how to be resilient in the face of disaster.
“Our recent history has taught us how to come together and operate in a crisis mode. We are strong, and we are survivors,” says Dilya. “Although we had seemingly lost everything once more, we counted our blessings. None of our staff nor customers who were in our restaurant when the tornado struck were injured. We realized that recovering again was going to be a challenge, but we were unwavering in our commitment to build back bigger and better than ever.”
For the next eight months, Dilya and her team worked diligently to rebuild their restaurant. Along the way, they received numerous donations of money, materials and “sweat equity” from agencies, customers and supporters across the community.
Finally, Jolly Ollie’s was able to reopen once more during a special friends and family event held on Jul. 29. The invitation-only occasion was held to celebrate the rebirth of the restaurant, while simultaneously thanking many of the people who had stood steadfast by Dilya and her team during their time of need. The friends and family get-together was followed up by other special occasions, including a special multiday grand reopening celebration at the end of August.
“We are forever grateful to our community and friends for their unwavering support,” said Dilya Knight. “Without them, we wouldn’t have made it.”
Jolly Ollie’s Pizza & Pub
82 New Shackle Island Road,
Hendersonville, TN 37075
615.590.7313
“We are forever grateful to our community and friends for their unwavering support!”
Dilya Knight