Emily Adams Keplinger | Special to The Commercial Appeal

Mark Weber, The Commercial Appeal

Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal

A much-loved restaurant in the Bartlett area is closing its doors.

Tellini’s Pasta Market, a fixture in the commercial landscape along U.S. 64 near Wolfchase Galleria, is scheduled to close July 29 as its owner, Gary Borth, moves into retirement.

“When our lease expired last March, I knew I didn’t want to sign on for another 10 years,” Borth said. “I’m about to turn 71, and I don’t have anyone to pass the restaurant on to, in terms of my family, so I decided to close. After 20 years, it will be a big change to no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations.”

Borth has been in food service since 1965. He started with TPI Restaurants, which was later bought by Shoney’s Inc.

"The company reorganized, and I was let go," Borth said. "At the same time, I had friends who were forming a real estate partnership and starting Tellini’s. I helped opened the first Tellini’s in Huntsville, then went on to help with opening restaurants in Bartlett and Tupelo.”

Borth helped build the Bartlett location from the ground up. The land was purchased in fall 1997, and the restaurant opened in March 1998. Since that time, Borth has marveled at all the new restaurants and general business growth in their part of town.

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“There must be at least 14 new restaurants within the last two years that have started up within two miles of our location,” he said. “However, Tellini’s Pasta Market has held its own. We are the original version of the Tellini’s chain. Our sauces and lasagna are made from scratch. We’re known for serving classic pizzas and Italian dishes, including vegetarian options.”

Mark Weber/The Commercial Appeal

Having run the restaurant as a “mom-and-pop operation,” Borth regards both his employees and his regular customers like family.

“When I posted the notice of our closing, somebody picked it up on Facebook and the response was overwhelming,” Borth said. “I’ve had calls of concern from Florida, Oklahoma, New Orleans and other places. And our local customers have kept the restaurant packed ever since.”

Borth said the hardest part of deciding to close was how it would affect his employees. He said severance pay was offered to every employee, and insurance coverage will continue until the end of August.

"We are still a positive influence in our community and will try to find everyone a job,” he said.

To that end, Borth hopes many of his employees will be hired by the new company moving into the building at 7974 U.S. 64 — Taziki’s Cafe.

“Isaac Riddle is going to rent the property from our real estate partnership,” Borth said. “He has already hired some of my managers and is looking to retain more of my staff.”

For Riddle, this will be his third Taziki’s Cafe in the greater Memphis area; one is on Mendenhall in East Memphis and the other is in Germantown.

“At Taziki’s we are all about fresh,” Riddle said. “Our recipes are made fresh and inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, incorporating scratch cooking, healthy oils and healthier preparation methods. We are a leader in the growing trend to provide healthful food in a fast-casual setting. We expect to open in Bartlett by the end of October.”

“I think customers will find that Taziki’s has a very similar concept to what they have known with us, including the way they deal with their clientele,” Borth said.

Borth said there are no special plans for Tellini’s Pasta Market's closing.

“I’d just like to thank all of our customers, our employees and our suppliers for what they’ve meant to me for the last 20 years,” he said.