Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Theisen.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
growing up I always enjoyed helping out in the kitchen. When I moved south and had my first taste of Memphis Style BBQ, I knew this is something I wanted to learn how to do. After several years of playing around, I decided to join a BBQ team and then started my own team. After about 10 years of competition cooking the opportunity arose in 2013 to open my own place, and here we are today!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I had a lot of help and business advice when I started, so that was a big help .As in any business, there were lots of challenges along the way. The biggest challenge was obviously the covid years. At that point we had built a pretty good reputation and we had some good people working with us, so we were able to push thru. People still needed to eat!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Construction work is what brought me to Memphis in the 80’s. I eventually ended up in the pavement maintenance department end of it. After 25 years the opportunity to open a restaurant came along. The work ethic developed working construction in the Memphis heat and the pressures that come with competition cooking helped a lot to prepare me for the BBQ business. Most people don’t understand the amount of work and the long hours that go into running any restaurant business. I guess I’m most proud of the fact that we are still here after 13 years, but I know that it wouldn’t be possible without the good help and encouragement from family and friends along the way!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
When I first started in competition bbq, i researched a lot of books and of course the internet to help me get started. After that everything was pretty much trial and error, and to some extent still is. As with any business if you’re not learning you are probably falling behind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tyssmokehouse.com
- Instagram: tys.smokehouse
- Facebook: tys.smokehousebbq
- Other: online order app Ty’s Smokehouse
