Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Lyons.
Hi Danny , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Grew up in New York Italian/Mediterranean fine dining restaurant scene. Came out to Tennesee to start a non-profit after I graduated college with a business finance degree. I had no ambitions of starting a restaurant. But I guess you can say God had different cards for me.
Monteagle/Sewannee area is a special place that brings people from all the big cities in the surrounding areas. We try an accommodate their big city pallets and offer incredible catering in addition to the restaurant.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. We started as a “gourmet” meal prep company, coincidentally, starting on the cusp of covid. Because no one was going out we had an open market and became an overnight success! Then we decided to go brick and Mordor because renting kitchens started to become infeasible. We seen a seriously decline because Covid was over and people were going out again. Once I recognized what the people of Monteagle/Sewanee wanted, to be wined and dinned, I shifted the business model into seated dinner/lunch service. That was 3 years ago and it took about 3 years to start seeing the growth we’re seeing now.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our menu is quit diverse with a strong Italian pull. We have unique open kitchen concept in which the kitchen almost feels like it’s an extension of the dinning room (well actually it is). We find inspiration by bringing top notch quality food to a place we’re quality food is hard to come by. We also like to bring different cultural foods, whether that be a Cajun classics or Lebanese dishes. There really are no rules. We just try and cook good food.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Consistency and creativity. When you can be creative and consistent at the same time, you’re on to something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Mountaintop.com
- Instagram: Mtntoptn
- Facebook: Mountain Top Restaurant & Catering
