Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Shukas.
Hi Tom, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Our Tennessee journey began in 2010. This is when my wife (Lili) and I (Tom) made our move from Chicago to Hendersonville, TN for a corporate job opportunity. My wife and I quickly grew roots in Sumner County purchasing our first home and making new friends. Four kids later, and now in my 40’s, I began to rethink my career. Corporate life had me missing too many school and sporting events. Around this same time, I also lost my last surviving parent to cancer. I guess you could say I had a small “mid-life-crisis” contemplating what the next 20 years of my life would be like. Professionally my life was great; I was just promoted to Senior Director of Paid Media and Digital Platforms for a national hospitality company. Despite my success, I just felt like my life was just a little too similar to Office Space (1999 comedy movie).
I longed to be more involved in my children’s day-to-day lives and to grow a stronger connection with the community. I wanted a job that had more meaning. Little did I know that I would soon have my professional day or reconning. After spending all night in the emergency room, I was told I needed gallbladder surgery. Which is considered emergency surgery due to the amount of pain it causes and the possibility of rupturing.
The next day I told my boss I needed a few days off the following week for the surgery and was asked if I could look into rescheduling it so I could attend a board meeting in Dallas. I was left speechless. STRIKE after telling them that wasn’t how emergency surgery worked. This was a Friday afternoon….I came back into the office on Monday and offered my letter of resignation.
At this point, I really had no idea what I was going to do next.
A few weeks later, I was eating at another restaurant in Goodlettsville and struck up a conversation with the owners……they were looking to sell and retire. I’m not exactly sure why, but I gave them my business card and told her to call me if they were serious.
When I moved from Chicago to Nashville, I loved everything about my new home…except the food. I grew up eating hot dogs, Italian Beefs and pizzas once a week and there was NOTHING equivalent in TN. Literally every town in Illinois has a hot dog and beef restaurant. In Nashville…. there were little choices.
One thing led to another and in 2022 we had an opportunity to take over a restaurant. Goodbye corporate world and hello small business owner! Our concept was simple, as a family of Chicago transplants, we missed our beloved Italian beef, hot dogs, gyros, pastas and more. And if we couldn’t get to Chicago…than we would bring our Chicago favorites to Nashville!
We originally had a business licensing partner, but we quickly realized we had different visions and, after getting lawyers involved rebranded to Staleys (which is the original name of the Chicago Bears – in 1919 they were known as the Decatur Staleys) and we’ve hit the grounding running!
Our goal is to create a world-class experience true to our Chicago background and to be part of the community we now live in. Since opening our doors we’ve grown to 2 locations and have been recognized with numerous “BEST OF” awards. We love our community and appreciate all their love and support!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
STRIKE I think I may have answered this question in the previous question. It has definitely not been all smooth!
Pandemic
Economy
Rebranding
Learning Curve of a New Career
I went from doing something I was very good at, to something I had never done before. It was challenging, especially coming out of the pandemic where “no one wanted to work”.
Combine that with redefining family roles. My wife, previously a stay-at-home mom, stepped into a small business leadership role, and an 80-hr week corporate dad was now picking kids up from school. What were very traditional family roles turned into a whole new partnership in life.
Rebranding was just icing on the cake. A new name, marketing, menu, etc. Despite all that, we rebranded, expanded, and chalked up many awards!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Staleys Chicago Italian Dining?
THE HISTORY OF THE NAME
Before they were the Monsters of the Midway, Chicago’s pro team were known as the Decatur Staleys.
STRIKE That’s right. In 1919, the Bears professional football team was founded, and their name was the Decatur Staleys after A.E Staley, the owner of a manufacturing company.
After successful, winning seasons, the Staleys and the sport of football became immensely popular. But, Staley had another business to attend to in corn processing. Plus, the town of Decatur couldn’t possibly hold the potential this team had in terms of profitability.
Staley went to George Halas with a proposition to take over the team, and they struck a deal in October 1921 for the Staleys to move to Chicago and play at Wrigley Field. After the team’s first season at Wrigley, the team knew they needed to change their name. They decided to call themselves the Bears because they made the analogy that football players were larger than baseball players; hence, Bears are larger than Cubs.
FAMILY HISTORY
STRIKE I think I shared most of the details in the 1st questions. At least the part that leads me to opening a restaurant.
With 4 young kids, I spent 80 hours a week on a corporate job. I struggled with missing so many child events. And for what? To make a billion-dollar company more money? I also didn’t like the very traditional roles my wife and I fell into. She was raising the kids while I worked to pay the bills. I love our new family roles. My wife and I are able to be partners in all areas. We are able to swap roles back and forth between family and school needs and have more flexibility. Which is a must for us having a `10, 9 and twin 6-year-olds (youngest twin being autistic and in need of a little more care)
Honestly, I’m not sure what really sets us apart. We are just a local family trying to pay the bills and make it through the day. We are just thankful for getting to be part of the community we live in and for all the support we get from the community.
Our goal is to create a world-class experience true to our Chicago background and to be part of the community we now live in. We love what we do, and we hope that you get a chance to stop by and check us out. We are all about good food, at good prices among family, friends, and new acquaintances.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Gosh, so many. I had/have a great family. Growing up in the 80’s was a very fun time.
I can tell you, a lot of my memories center around food. The Easter meals with the family gathered in the kitchen eating traditional Greek food. The fall trips to the apple orchard to buy their “to-die for” apple pie. Buying a hot dog from the food cart when I went to visit my dad at work. The annual family pig roast and the weekly Friday night pizza parties with the cousins.
I never really considered the impact from food on one’s life (present, past and future) until we moved from Chicago to Nashville, which was very different. When I moved to Nashville, we spent a lot of time searching for the food we missed.
It’s amazing how a certain smell can remind you of a family memory, or how taking a bite of an authentic Chicago Hot Dog can take you back to a memory of seeing the Cubs with your grandfather. From that perspective, food can keep you grounded to your past and to all your memories. At least it does for me. Going to work every day brings me back to the sights, sounds, and SMELLS of where I am from. And if you read our reviews, I think it’s true for our customers too. I have been hugged so many times by strangers (especially Chicago ex-pats) that eat our food and have a story about how it reminds them about home.
Pricing:
- We try keeping it at a “quick casual” dining price point. While we do import much of our food from Chicago and buy the highest quality products, which add to cost a little, we offer several different tiers of options for any budget • Hot Dogs from 4.99
- Sammiches from 8.99
- Pizzas from 7.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://staleyschicagoitaliandining.com/#
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staleys_chicago_italian_dining
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaleysChicagoDining/#
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/105180023/admin/dashboard/
- Twitter: https://x.com/staleysdining
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StaleysChicagoItalianDining
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/staleys-chicago-italian-dining-goodlettsville-5?osq=Staleys
- Other: https://staleyschicagoitaliandining.com/goodlettsville-staleys-chicago-italian-dining-google-page
