The Hardworking Owner of Tom and Jerry’s Juan Acuna

 “The first six months it was really rough, barely any money coming in and I willed all my savings to buy the restaurant, but I fought. Just be patient, maybe it's gonna take 6 months, it's gonna take a year, two years,” said Juan Acuna, the owner of Tom and Jerry’s, about success in business. Tom and Jerry’s has been a staple of Wright’s food scene for 20 years.The Greek restaurant is known for their daily deals, free drinks to students, and fresh hot food. 

 Acuna was wearing his apron when he spoke after working on the line. “I work just like everybody else,” Acuna said. Acuna has been working at Tom and Jerry’s for around 20 years.

Acuna said, "There's a lot of people like vendors and they expect a mean greek old guy, they see me and are like ‘your the owner really?’” Acuna is a Mexican man who owns a Greek restaurant.

 Acuna is a family man. “I only have my wife, my daughters, and my wife’s side of the family, my mom is back home in Mexico and I try to visit her like once a year.” He also has a twin brother in New Jersey. Acuna bought Tom and Jerry’s around three years ago.

Acuna has no signs of slowing down and said he wants to open another location. “I want to have another. In three years I will be 40, I feel we might start looking for another one and see where we can go for this part of my life and the journey. I'm not getting any younger and nothing is promised. We're not gonna know what's gonna happen tomorrow,” Acuna said.

The success of Tom and Jerry’s since Acuna’s ownership has allowed him to do what he loves outside of the restaurant. “I love to spoil my daughters. I can go to the store and buy whatever they want, because I know how hard it can be, when I was young my mom barely had money to feed us. Sometimes we didn’t get anything to eat, my mom was the only income in the household,” Acuna said.

Acuna fought for everything he had and still kept his strong heart and leveled head. Tom and Jerry's has daily specials like $5 smash burgers on Thursdays and 99 cent Wing Wednesdays. “How can we compete with McDonalds across the street?” Acuna remarked. “Our food is fresh, I prep everything everyday but Sunday.” 

“Hopefully people can feel like they know me and come here knowing a bit about me,” Acuna said. “It's about the environment, it's a restaurant; as the owner you have to build your workers. If you miss a day or gotta go on vacation, you know they got your back.”

“I want to be someone in life that can be a role model. To see me and be like, ‘this guy had it hard and now he made it.’” Acuna said. 

”Coming from a little village in Mexico where everyone knows each other, they don't believe in you- but when I come back home they're like ‘you the king’ ‘you the man’ ‘he made it’” Acuna said. Acuna said, ““Thank you God for another day, life is hard, especially for you guys, you're still going to school and are learning- just keep fighting. Don't stop, everything is possible, If you work hard for your dream and what you want in life, you gotta go get it… they're not gonna say ‘hey here's a million dollars, see what you can do.’” 

Acuna is a great example of someone starting from the bottom and making it. “I hope somebody can look at this newspaper and say like ‘wow the owner of Tom and Jerry’s had it rough but he made it,’” Acuna said. Students now know the history behind the restaurant and the man behind it, Juan Acuna.

Adrijan Waraich contributed to this article.

Located at 6359. W Montrose Ave directly across the street from Wright College awaits Tom and Jerry’s. Photo Credit: Samuel Saavedra.