Jeremy Denno, pictured here at Rock 'n Dough Pizza Co. in East Memphis, is shooting for a September opening for his new restaurant.
Jeremy Denno and Amanda Preston, the couple behind Rock ‘n Dough Pizza Co., are opening a microbrewery and pizza pub later this year in Jackson, Tennessee, as part of a new walkable community developed in part by Henry Turley.
The mixed use project near the University of Memphis Lambuth campus will include residences, a state-of-the-art wellness center and retail space, including Rock ‘n Dough’s 4,100-sq. ft. restaurant.
“I’ve wanted to do a microbrewery with pizza from the start,” said Denno, who signed a 10-year lease about two weeks ago. “And this new space was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
Called Jackson Walk, the development will help revitalize a section of downtown near the Lambuth campus that was struck by a springtime tornado in 2011. Denno praised the location’s proximity to a dog park (“We’ll make house-made dog biscuits and have a little patio where people can bring their dogs”) and the local farmers market.
“The farmers market is just a stone’s throw away,” he said. “We can source things from our neighbors. How cool is that?”
While Rock 'n Dough’s signature hand-tossed pizzas will be central to the new menu, Denno also plans expanded offerings like turkey burgers, veggie burgers, wraps and salads, along with microbrews from local brew master Ben Pugh.
“This is not going to be your run-of-the-mill beer pub,” he said. “It’s going to be a New Age-hybrid that emphasizes the healthier side of things.”
