JT's Original Louisiana Bar-B-Q is closed, but more bbq rises in its ashes

I've had a few readers call and e-mail about JT's Original Louisiana Bar-B-Que, which operated at 7104 Sixth Ave. for four years – up until a few months ago.

"We decided to relocate, to find a new location. The location we had wasn't working out for us. It was more of a traffic issue," said James Turner, who operated the now-closed restaurant with a daughter.

So what's next for the Turner family? And what about the new bbq place that has opened in that location – Papa Eddie's Corner Cafe and BBQ?

Turner and his children now operate JT's restaurants in New Jersey, where four of the Turner children have moved. But Turner, a retired Port of Seattle firefigher who still lives in Gig Harbor, said he is talking to possible business partners about franchise opportunities in Tacoma and Gig Harbor.

"We miss our customers and we're thankful that we developed a lot of friends, and we miss them. We're definitely going to do something soon," Turner said.

Fans of JTs will remember that prior to the Sixth Avenue location, the family operated JTs in Gig Harbor from 1998 to 2003.

Their new restaurants in New Jersey are working well for the family. "It's more of an upscale Louisiana style barbecue," said Turner of the family's Newark restaurant. They also operate kiosk barbecue stands at the Prudential Arena in New Jersey.

In the meantime, the family still will offer catering in the Tacoma area. Contact the family at jt@jtsbbq.com or at the website, http://jtsbbq.com/.

By the way, in the location that formerly housed JTs, there's a new barbecue joint. It's called Papa Eddie's Corner Café and BBQ. It opened April 24 and is owned by Zachary Hill who operates a catering company started by his father 30 years ago in Tacoma. I'll have a first bite report of Papa Eddie's on the blog and in the News Tribune's GO section tomorrow.

This story was originally published May 7, 2009 at 1:59 AM with the headline "JT's Original Louisiana Bar-B-Q is closed, but more bbq rises in its ashes."