Tig’s Courtyard sold to family friend

It is impossible to recall the number of Friday after Thanksgiving sandwiches or tropical salads Tig has prepared in the last five years, but there soon will be another face in the kitchen and a new name above the door.

"People aren't really sure how to react to the news," admitted Andra "Tig" Garris, founder of Tig's Courtyard. "They are worried that life happened and this was forced on us, but we made the decision to sell. It was not made for us."

Tig and her husband, Marty, recently had to close the business for several weeks when their family got COVID-19. Restaurateur and longtime friend Richard Millinder had approached the couple in the past about business opportunities for the eatery, so when he made them an offer, the couple prioritized what was best for their son, R.J.

"It is hard, but I feel accomplished at all we've done," Tig said. "I don't have any regrets about it, and I guess part of that is because I know this is what is best for our family."

"I think the way it worked out is good for everyone," said Millinder, who plans to rename the cafe Carolina Cheese Co. later this month. "Tig and Marty agreed to stay on for a transition period, so they are finishing strong and helping us build from there. Hopefully we can merge the best of what Carolina Cheese was with the best of Tig's and move forward."

"We have planted some hard seeds with Richard about what he has to keep," Marty Garris added with a laugh.

Millinder said his plan right now is to keep the Tig's menu and expand it with popular items from Carolina Cheese like the Zippy Rooster. He's also replacing some ingredients such as the bagel with a New York-style version made fresh with a wider variety of flavors.

"People are asking whether it will be the same thing, but it won't be exactly the same because I won't be here," Tig said. "But Richard knows the core of what we do and my recipes, plus he'll bring something else to the table."

The popular downtown restaurant at 109 Barnes St. W. was Tig's dream after a career of working in corporate restaurants. With the help of the late architect Jay Hood, three storefronts were combined into the sandwich and coffee shop that quickly proved popular with locals and visitors alike.

"I thought it would be a lot slower to build our clientele, so I was pleasantly surprised with the response from the community," Tig said. "Honestly, there was some fear of the unknown, but we jumped off the cliff and said 'We'll either survive this or not.' We just opened and didn't look back."

"It has never been easy. It has always been a struggle, but the last two years have been a beast," Marty said. "When we opened five years ago, I went to the ATM machine at the twin towers and we had $18.30 in our account, but we opened the restaurant and made it work."

The Garrises developed a fierce following, with many loyal customers coming multiple times a week — a trend he said has helped them endure the pandemic and its challenges.

"Emotionally, that is what is the hardest for us. Our customers are our people, our clan, and we look at them as our family," Tig said. "It is those people that kept us going, and if not for our base core, we wouldn't have survived even the first two months of the pandemic."

EXTRA! EXTRA!

After six years as the city and business reporter at The Wilson Times, this will be my last column. I have taken a job for a Raleigh consultant that thankfully will be mostly remote, as I am not relocating because I truly love the Wilson community. It has been a pleasure to celebrate local entrepreneurs and business innovations through the changing economy.

Nicholas Schnitker will be taking my place, so if you see him at meetings or around town, please give him a Wilson welcome.

Got an idea for news to include in future business stories? Reach Nicholas Schnittker by calling 252-265-7821 or emailing nschnittker@wilsontimes.com.