About us

Company history

In 1982 Mike Smith, in the restaurant business since 1961,
originated the concept of TJ’s Deli.

He wanted a business that sold mostly gourmet foods such as cheese,
sliced meats and wines. He also wanted to serve a few sandwiches as well.

Sandwiches were so popular that he and his son Mitch ( raised in the business side by side with his dad)
had a decision to make. Oh well, so much for the gourmet foods.

We have prided ourselves over the years for serving quality products with quality service.

So they decided not to do gourmet foods and specialize in top quality sandwiches
along with the ever popular soup and salad bars.

You are our customers and we have grown older with you. We have seen you grow from children to
married adults with your own children. We have seen you through tough times and buried a few of you.
You are our life and we are grateful every day for you good folks being in our lives.
We do not want to retire as we would not be able to see you. If you have not eaten with us,
come on in. We think that you will not be disappointed.

Say hey to our terrific employees and let us serve you. We'll leave the grill on for you... Thanks, Mitch Smith

TJ's DELI & GRILL CLUB HAVEN

Chris Henderson manager BIG MAMMA

JUAN DINING ROOM

TJ's DELI Parkway plaza

SAM SPAUGH MANAGER

SALAD BAR

Deli’s portions and quality are worth the drive

Old Gold & Black. The student newspaper of Wake Forest University since 1916. © 2007 WFU Media Board.

By Jeff Merski | Senior writer

As I walked into T.J.’s Deli with a friend for dinner, Mitch, the owner, was at the counter welcoming patrons and taking our orders for dinner. T.J.’s is similar to many deli-style restaurants – there are plenty of menus available for people to look at, and when you get up to the counter, you order by the item’s number.

It’s a pretty simple formula that is hard to mess up.
The fare is similar to many other deli-style restaurants, in that there are a variety of sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken and other grilled items.
Prices are relatively inexpensive too, which is of utmost important to the college student on a budget.
Entrees range in price from $5-$8.
In addition, diners can add a moderately inexpensive soda or sweet tea to their order and receive free refills.
For my dinner, I had the chicken tenders. As an avid fan of chicken tenders, I have tried them at pretty much every restaurant in Winston-Salem.
And let me say that these are the best chicken tenders that I have ever had.
Not just in Winston, but in my entire life. T.J.’s serves a hearty five tenders per platter, all of which are lightly breaded and fried and cooked to the point that they are still extremely juicy and tasty. The meal comes with a choice of pretty standard options like French fries and chips.
A nice part about the side orders is the ability to substitute an appetizer for the side item and have $0.50 taken off the price of the side item.
If you’re looking for a great choice, I would recommend going with the home-cooked potato chips as a side item – they cook these up in the kitchen for you and have a taste that is much better than a regular bag of chips.
My companion had the buffalo cham for his dinner, and he was equally impressed by the tastiness of the food.
Now, I’m sure you’re asking what a cham is. A cham is T.J.’s specialty dish, and it stands for a chicken and ham sandwich. In essence, it’s very comparable to a chicken cordon bleu, in that it takes the chicken, ham and cheese and combines it with a variety of vegetables to make a sandwich that is quite legendary and above all, delicious. In regards to the size of the dinners, both me and my friend walked away from dinner completely stuffed – always a positive. Between the generous portions given for the entrees and the heaping portions of your chosen side item, it’s tough not to leave the restaurant completely full.In fact, there’s only one downside to T.J.’s that I can come up with – the unfortunate fact that it is a decent drive from campus. It’s located at the intersection of Peace Haven Boulevard and Country Club Road across the street from Calvary Baptist Church – meaning that it is approximately 15 minutes away from campus. It’s not that long of a drive, but it can seem like a haul compared to the other restaurant options that are much closer to campus. Still, as one of my friends once said, “There is nothing bad about T.J.’s,” and minus the distance away from campus, this is certainly a true statement.
The next time you’re thinking about heading out to someplace closer to campus for dinner, I urge you to venture a little bit further away and try out T.J.’s. You won’t be disappointed.

Actual e-mail

From: Tommy Howell
Message:
To everybody at TJ's Deli, I want to thank you so much for all you have done. I've grown up in Winston-Salem and have always enjoyed your restaurant. I've been a loyal fan from day 1 (At both stores).3 years ago I was involved in an accident that left me in a coma. well as soon as I was able to eat real food again, the nurse asked me what I would like. Even though I was still a little groggy, I immediately said "A Big ole Cham". She knew right off what I was talking about. We then talked about how good everything is there and the condiments are out of this world too. After getting out of the hospital, I was forced to move to Raleigh. I've had to deal with the fact they don't have Lexington style BBQ here, but there are a lot of deli's around, but NOBODY can come close to TJ's. I have made a few trips back, just to eat at my favorite place. I've eaten just about everything on the menu and it's all great.
Well again, I want to thank you Mitch and to everybody else!

15 plus years customers

Jim Maning 27 years customer She loves our southwest wrap

Eating here forever and loving it She loves Chris cooking for sure