Craig is the founder of Doc B’s Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant is named after Craig’s late father, “Doctor B,” Doc B’s was first opened in Chicago in September 2013 and is a fresh, casual dining concept. Doc B’s has 10 locations in Chicago, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, and Coral Gables, FL; Austin, Dallas, and Forth Worth, TX.
Craig was inspired to follow a career in the restaurant industry after meeting Morton’s Steakhouse legend Allen Bernstein at a Knicks game. Craig and his dad talked to Allen at his courtside seats and he later formed a mentor relationship with Craig.
Craig interviewed Allen Bernstein for a career report in the sixth grade about being a restaurant owner. Allen would later industry Craig to other restaurant industry leaders.
Doc B’s started as a fast casual restaurant and transformed into a full service restaurant. That shift allowed Doc B’s to offer an elevated food offering and establish a better relationship with customers.
Different layouts of each Doc B’s location provides opportunities for different design elements and features within each location.
QUOTES
“(Allen Bernstein) really transformed my life to a certain extent. Allen drove me to pursue a career in the restaurant industry.” (Craig)
“For me, the idea of hospitality and really going above and beyond for every guest was always really innate in the philosophy of our business. That’s why we transferred to full service.” (Craig)
“It’s about slow and steady growth. Not just growing for growth sake. Really trying to get great real estate, grow organically, grow from within and build the team from within.” (Craig)
“I know the last chapter of our book. I just don’t know all the pages between today and then.” (Craig)
“We don’t want to cut costs just to get more bodies inside the restaurant. We want to maintain our integrity, we want to maintain our value on the plate and we don’t want to trim the quality that we offer.” (Craig)
“We’re traveling. We’re in our restaurants. We’re engaging with the team and engaging with guests. We’re doing constant evaluations of the food and service.” (Craig)
“It really comes down to letting the general managers own their business and operate it like it was their four walls.” (Craig)
“What’s fun about my job is you can have a day that’s the easiest day in the world and then you can have another day where nothing is going right.” (Craig)
TRANSCRIPT
00:00.60
vigorbranding
Hey there hey I’m really excited today to talk to a guest ah a gentleman I met probably a couple months ago something happened there got an error message you the phone expensive fiction problems. She’s got internet connection.
00:20.20
vigorbranding
It’s still going just gonna let rather than stop it ended I think we’ll just I’ll trim this up so you let’s start over. Okay hi I’m really excited about today’s guest mainly because I love a good origin story. Our guest today is Craig Bernstein he’s the founder of dock be’s fresh kitchen restaurants Craig I really appreciate you joining us today. Um, ah you and I met like ah I don’t know a couple months ago out in l a and I got to talking to you and I just love a good story. So welcome to the show.
00:36.61
Craig
Yeah, thank you so much. Thanks for having me Michael and it was great to meet you and share with you. My story and tell you more about it today.
01:00.21
vigorbranding
Sounds great. So you know when I first heard you talk about doc bees. Um I was fascinated by it for 2 reasons. First of all as I said I’m a marker right? So I love a good story. Ah, ah, original stories or or what brands are made of so we have doc bees and also ah you know Doc Bee was your father.
01:11.97
Craig
Um, yeah.
01:18.23
vigorbranding
And my dad was my best friend so the whole thing just kind of fit together for me and I was really ah, really excited. Ah for you to be on here today so can can you tell me tell me a little bit about the whole thing about your dad and and and how this whole thing about the doc bees got started.
01:19.90
Craig
Full I have to go way back way back? Um, you know my father was a doctor um, like you mentioned my last name is Bernstein so Doc B is ultimately where the name for the business came from but um I grew up in New York long island and me my father and I you we you know we used to go to the New York Knickscapes and we had a great you know great experiences going to madison square garden rooting on the knicks in the 90 s Patrick Ewing Charles Oakley John Starks still remember it like it was yesterday. And so if I go into the story about how Doc Bees and the restaurant started. Um, yeah I could go into that detail if that’s what you’d like yeah so so it’s it’s kind of a cool story. So I’m ten years old I’m a middle child I have ah a younger sister.
02:08.55
vigorbranding
It’s awesome.
02:13.75
Craig
Sarah she’s 5 an older brother Jonathan at the time he was 12 and I remember like it was yesterday. My dad calls the house ma we all ran to the phone at that time you actually wanted to answer the phone now when the phone rings nobody wants to answer it and we picked up the phone.
02:14.96
vigorbranding
Yeah I’d love. Yeah, absolutely.
02:31.14
Craig
And my dad says I have 2 kni tickets for tonight’s game and says to my mom who can come and we all we all raised our hand I want to go I want to go and my mom said all right here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna cut straws into a hat. And whoever gets the smallest straw gets to go to the gate. So I can’t imagine my sister by the way 5 was gonna be allowed to go to the Knicks game that late at night but she was included because she always got anything she wanted and so we all picked straws. And I ended up picking the smallest straw and I won to go to the game with my dad so you know I was happy I got to go upstairs and change I remember long story short. it’s it’s raining he drives home from work picks me up. We drive into Manhattan which was always like. Like still just I still remember it so vividly and we get to the garden and I’m thinking we have these great seats see. We’re gonna have a great time and we’re walking up and it just we don’t stop up and up. We have the highest seats in in the whole garden. And you know as I was ten years old it didn’t matter where we were sitting but I wasn’t expected to be in the nosebleed section and so we have a great time I remember at that time there was a restaurant called ranch one and that was like a.
03:57.94
Craig
Chicken finger place and that’s all I ever wanted. It was ranch one chicken fingers and they gave you french fries and they served it in a big cup overflow with fries. So I got my ranch one and during halftime my dad points down to celebrity row which at that time was a. Still is a big deal but it was a big deal spike Lee and Bill Murray and he points down to celebrity where says Craig do you see that guy down there and I said dad we’re so high I I can’t see anything. He says the guy who’s sitting at the courts. That’s my friend.
04:27.86
vigorbranding
Sure and.
04:35.80
Craig
And I sat to him I said well if he’s sitting on the courts I Want to go meet it and he said I don’t know if we’ll make it down in time but let’s try so we hurried downstairs. We try to get to the court before the buzzard you know goes off that halftime’s over.
04:44.31
vigorbranding
Um.
04:52.12
Craig
And we’re we’re blocked by the velvet rope to get through to the very bottom of the court and my dad’s yelling and he’s saying Allen Allen this guy Allen turned around and waves to my dad and ultimately tells the usher. He’s safe. You could let him in. And so I go down and I’m standing on the court of madison square garden and I’m like this is unbelievable. This is incredible. The ball comes to me I catch the ball and I’m just you know just in like all so the you know halftime ends I shake this gentleman Allen’s hand I say thank you so much and. We walk all the way back up to our top row seats you want me to keep going I mean there’s a lita and so we finished the game. We have the best time and the next day Allen calls my dad and he says Rob he says you never told me that.
05:44.23
vigorbranding
Oh yeah, it’s awesome. It’s great.
05:47.52
Craig
Craig was such a precocious young. You know great kid and my dad said well I didn’t know it never came up I forgot to tell you them and so he says I want to give you tickets to the game to take the family and you know you guys can have our seats a couple weeks. Go by. We get the tickets. Keep in mind there’s 5 people to our family three kids and mom and dad and alan from what I was told was the only guy who had 4 tickets on celebrity row. Everybody else had 2 and now this is back in the day so we we go to a restaurant we eat dinner.
06:07.85
vigorbranding
Ah.
06:24.80
vigorbranding
Um.
06:26.27
Craig
And then we go to Madison square garden now remember with 4 Seats my dad puts my little sister on his shoulders and says Sarah pretend like you know they can’t see you and somehow gets us in and 5 of us sat on 4 seats on celebrity row unbelievable. It was like. Those things don’t happen anymore and and so we have an amazing time and the high fiving the players it was it was memorable. Okay, fast forward I’m in the sixth grade the same year that this happened and I have to do a career report.
06:49.20
vigorbranding
But that’s great. Yeah now.
07:01.79
Craig
What do you want to be when you grow up and so I go home and you know one of the things that we were so passionate about as a family is we always had dinner together as a family came around food. Maybe that comes full circle and my I say to my dad I said I said dad I said ah.
07:12.67
vigorbranding
Um.
07:20.82
Craig
Ms Collins gave us a report.. What do you want to be when you grow Up. He says oh do you want to be a doctor like me I said no I said I want to be like the guy who has the tickets at the Nick game. What does that Guy. Do. Oh to make money and so he says well remember that restaurant that we went to before the game I said yeah, he said well he owns that restaurant I said all I fine when I grew up my career report’s going to be restaurant owner and I did the career report and I was 10 and.
07:47.48
vigorbranding
I Want to I want to make money. Yeah.
07:56.70
vigorbranding
Ah.
07:59.17
Craig
I don’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing but here we are today.
08:06.33
Craig
No relation. Yeah yeah, so I don’t know so he didn’t he didn’t he wasn’t the founder. You know I think Arnie Morton and the morton family founded it but he ultimately became the you know chairman Ceo of the business I think around store 6 or 7
08:16.26
vigorbranding
That’s awesome and of course the report was about ah Alan Bernstein no relation to you it just happens on the same last name and he is the founder of mortons is that correct.
08:25.24
Craig
And you know gruident you know I think the household name that that everybody knows today.
08:30.15
vigorbranding
Ah, okay.
08:33.23
vigorbranding
Yeah, he ran it. Okay.
08:40.51
Craig
Almost goingus. Yeah.
08:41.26
vigorbranding
So you wrote this report that you wanted to be this restaurantauur and we actually had a copy that report in a little bit I’m going to ask you some of the questions that you asked Allen in your report and see if you if you feel that those questions still hold water today if you would answer them differently. Okay.
08:53.39
Craig
Yeah I mean the whole way I mean he really? um you know he he really transformed my life to a certain extent I mean you know I went to Emory University in Atlanta and I started you know business and entrepreneurship and I got into some little groups of.
08:57.68
vigorbranding
Um, so anyway, so the relationship with Alan continues after that meeting he was he was like a mentor to you through your college years is that correct want to talk a little bit about that and that relationship.
09:10.73
Craig
Just you know the entrepreneurial idea when I was in college I worked on a business plan to open a restaurant in emory village and the the concept was called Bernie’s New York Delhi and you know I would float this idea by Alan and other people but I was always pitching you know I mean I always was like.
09:16.55
vigorbranding
Ah.
09:30.32
Craig
Who wants in and as a 20 year old kid. Um, nobody really wanted in I mean a little little you know little bites here and there but but nothing like we were ultimately able to to secure in the future.
09:41.52
vigorbranding
Um, no.
09:44.55
Craig
And so you know Alan really changed my life. You know ultimately I went on to work for Houston’s hillstone restaurant group and you know Alan really drove me to to go pursue that he didn’t have any you know relations or um introductions to make but he did say. You know it’s such a highly regarded bestin class restaurant company and if I could get my foot in the door there. Um, that would really be an incredible foundation to becoming a restaurant manager and ultimately I followed his advice and through that advice. Um. I got into that company and another quick story after I was with Houstons I remember Alllan called me and he said we’re opening up a 5 guys burgers Alllan became a big franchisor of a franchisee of of 5 guys and he said you have to come I said Alan I’m working I can’t he said you have to come you have to come. I drove to this opening of 5 guys in Queens New York and I go when I was there for maybe like 30 minutes and I said I have to go he said just sit down shut up I have somebody coming. You need to meet I said all right fine and so I waited I waited I waited all of a sudden David Overton
10:44.87
vigorbranding
Ah.
10:55.57
Craig
The you know chairman founder of cheesecake factory comes in and I had lunch with Alan Bernstein David Overton Mrs. Overton and we’re eating burgers fries and hot dogs at the opening of 5 guys burgers in queens.
11:08.28
vigorbranding
Yeah.
11:12.50
Craig
And I mean these stories where I share them. They just give me chills I mean nothing came of it except just to hear these industry Titans talk about the restaurant business and these are memories that I’ll never forget.
11:38.18
vigorbranding
That’s fantastic. You know I get to in this podcast I get to talk to a lot of founders. A lot of entrepreneurs which of course you’re one and they always have unique stories and they’re they’re always like um, what’s intriguing to me is a lot of times. They’re not just things weren’t just handed to to you or to them. Or to any of us. There was a lot of hustle involved right? A lot lot of struggle. A lot of lot of grit and I always I love that about the about the industry and about the entrepreneurs side of this I they say it’s super cool I know you know Alan taught you a lot about hospitality. Um, you know and the importance of hospitality in a restaurant you know.
12:04.80
Craig
Well, you know listen we we transformed our business from you know, a more fast casual although it was ah an elevated fast casual experience into a full-service you know, dining atmosphere and.
12:13.42
vigorbranding
And today’s era of of quick service is hospitality dying art.
12:19.43
Craig
You know everything from you know, hostesses up front to full service at at the tables to more expansive bars. Um elevated management teams um team members in the kitchen who could execute a little bit of a higher quality food food offering.
12:38.90
Craig
And so I think for for me and for us the the idea of hospitality and really going above and beyond for every guest experience was always really innate into the philosophy of the business and. So I think that for for us. We were always a little bit more on the elevated side and that’s why we we transferred to the full service I mean we were able to make greater connections be at the tables longer walk guest to tables and really kind of see the thing.
13:03.60
vigorbranding
From here.
13:14.40
Craig
From the start to the middle to the end with this above and beyond um gesture of hospitality and I think that’s really what was like ingrained in me I mean anytime I would ever go to Morton’s with Alan you know it was every dessert on the table. Every appetizer on the table. And even after you had every dessert he was like you gotta try this other one. That’s not yet on the menu and you gotta taste it put Allen I’m full. Ah you could. You could take 1 more bite and that’s really you know how how we how we run the business I’ll tell you 1 quick story about hospitality. Um, you know I was.
13:43.98
vigorbranding
He.
13:51.56
Craig
I started the the first restaurant and died in Chicago in the Gold Coast neighborhood about ten and a half years ago and I was in the restaurant every single day I mean morning tonight and I got to really create amazing relationships with so many spectacular guests as the business has expanded.
14:05.64
vigorbranding
But.
14:09.52
Craig
I can’t be in every restaurant every day and but those connections are everlasting so one day I think it might have been during covid so you know twenty twenty I’m sitting outside and a guest walks into place in order and she recognizes me. She says oh my goodness I haven’t seen you in so long and I’m so proud of you. We were your first guest in this whole thing and she sort of started to tear up and I said what’s the matter she said you know my husband has since passed away and we used to always come here every Friday night. And we would always come here and we would get pizza and we used to serve pizza and and you no longer have pizza and I said oh my goodness I said you know what I’m going to do for you tonight. We’re going to make you a pizza and I was sitting there with my chef and we found you know dough. We made her pizza. And so it’s like you know those types of connections and relationships I mean that’s really why we got into this business in the first place and to make somebody so happy from pizza dough and marinara and fresh mozzarella.
15:17.00
vigorbranding
A.
15:21.29
Craig
You You can’t do that in any other walk of life so to be able to have those types of connections and that type of special relationship. You know I would trade this for nothing.
15:34.50
vigorbranding
Yeah, um.
15:43.32
vigorbranding
Yeah, yeah I mean food is love and it’s ah it’s a great way to connect with people and you know a lot of people’s best memories are revolve around food. You were saying earlier about your your family always ate dinner together. It’s sort of a law start unto itself. But.
15:49.28
Craig
Yeah, yeah, big big time.
15:57.17
vigorbranding
It’s just ah, it’s a wonderful part of life and it’s it’s something that you know we we all cherish and it it really does evoke a lot of great memories. That’s for sure So when when you started now you have this full-serce restaurant you really you really weren’t planning on that.
16:05.33
Craig
Yeah, so you know what I worked um so I worked for Houstons and I grew up to become a general manager with them and during my tenure. You know you started to see and this was in the in the sort of 2007 2008 2009
16:11.69
vigorbranding
Right? At at first it was not it was more of ah of a digital menu right? Fast casual kind of concept.
16:21.96
Craig
And you started to see people come in and place orders at the bar cheeseburgers, chicken salads, ribs and get the food delivered on a plate and then ask for a box and take it to go with them. And at the time we weren’t doing at least that that company delivery pickup to go. It didn’t exist and so as an entrepreneur I mean you know in 1920 years old I was trying to build a restaurant called Bernie’s deli
16:48.62
vigorbranding
See.
16:52.24
Craig
Ah, was always thinking about you know what could we? What could be the first concept that we we try to create and so the idea was how do you take casual dining and turn it into an order at the counter. Um service experience sort of think A. Panera bread but on steroids so digital menu boards and we had Gps table trackers and I think the one saving grace that that ah that we implemented is we had a full liquor wine beer program at the restaurant and we had a bar component.
17:24.32
vigorbranding
Fool.
17:28.25
Craig
Where you could get full service at the bar or you can go order at the counter sit down at the table and then the service team would sort of take care of everything else. Drink refills catch up run your food bust your tables things like that and what we noticed is. Guest would walk in and they would say hey you see that menu over there at the bar go bring me that menu and you know come take my order at the table and I’m being a little facetious the way that they they spoke but not so far off. And and ultimately you know it was through having this hybrid model right? from the get go. We trained the service team to have elevated service points. We had a full liquor program. We had full service at the bar so we weren’t just one 1 or 1 or nothing.
18:06.32
vigorbranding
Um, sure. Yeah.
18:16.87
Craig
We sort of had all these little things going so long story short We we started to take orders at the table. We started to notice that more people preferred at least in our restaurant that model and what I thought was this amazing entrepreneurial innovative idea.
18:29.61
vigorbranding
From who.
18:35.80
Craig
Take casual restaurant food and serve it in it to go order at the counter environment. You know we we soon realized that you know most people again for us in the gup coast neighborhood of Chicago wanted to sit down be taken care of but also have a ah casual go to spot. Where they could dine with us multiple times a week
19:07.50
vigorbranding
Yeah, well I mean that’s it’s smart and customers. They vote with their mouths right? They’re going to you got to follow them and what their their needs are and their wants are and you have to evolve and and roll with the punches and and and change your model if you need be That’s ah, that’s very very smart.
19:19.00
Craig
Ah, very true would I Just think that I’m just like a regular a regular guck you know and like sometimes I’m in the mood for fried chicken Sometimes I’m in the mood for a salad sometimes I’m in the mood for a fried chicken sandwich. So I think.
19:21.33
vigorbranding
I have ah I’m going to jump on a side here. It’s kind of funny because one of the things I read about you you know I’m sitting here saying you have to like listen to the customers and listen to what their needs are but your menus based on your on your favorite things isn’t it.
19:36.81
Craig
You know the menu is really built around something for everyone any day of the week whatever they’re in the mood for and you know so far I think my taste buds align with the most people you know we’re operating now in 5 states and so.
19:42.21
vigorbranding
Yeah, ah.
19:55.54
Craig
So I think it’s it’s resonating. Yes, so we have 10 restaurants and um, yeah, it’s it’s an exciting time. You know it’s sort of like slow and steady growth. You know, not just growing for growth sake but really trying to get great real estate grow organically um.
20:07.40
vigorbranding
That’s awesome. How many locations total. Okay, fantastic.
20:14.76
Craig
Grow from within build the team from within I mean we have people on our team from day one and I mean when you look back and you see ah an opening line cook from our kitchen now running the kitchen of our first restaurant I mean that’s like you can’t you can’t beat that.
20:20.10
vigorbranding
Great. Um.
20:33.85
Craig
Amazing.
20:41.26
vigorbranding
That’s awesome. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got to feel good about that. So one of the things I think is really interesting. Is you know we talk about these you know the dock bees and or any kind of a restaurant and and the and the main thing about a restaurant I Know it’s not a franchise. It’s all they’re all owned by you. But.
20:50.86
Craig
Yeah I mean I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing but it certainly makes my architect you know, happy to to build. But no, you know I think I think what it is is you know we’re constantly trying to.
20:58.22
vigorbranding
They typically want to resemble the same look and feel. So yeah that that consists Ram your decor, an atmosphere for each location is a bit different. Can you talk about that and the thinking behind that.
21:09.95
Craig
Innovate and think outside the box and you know we’re we’re traveling looking at what other restaurants and other people in the hospitality whether it’s hotels whether it’s fast casual whether it’s full service. You know it’s all these different visual cues that. You know we’re constantly looking to incorporate into how we can make our restaurants better. So I think the the architecture and the atmospheres in the layouts are generated more around. We don’t have a cookie cutter box. So. Each restaurant some are four Thousand Square feet some are six Thousand Square feet some are in lifestyle centers some are in general mall some are in urban downtown markets and so the the atmosphere sort of forces us.
21:45.48
vigorbranding
Who.
22:00.68
Craig
Have to look at each buildout just a little bit different so that patios that then how do you incorporate that into the dining room and and and so I think it’s it’s it’s we still haven’t figured out exactly who we are. You know what I sort of say all the time is you know? and and I say this.
22:15.31
vigorbranding
You hear.
22:19.13
Craig
Somewhat facetiously I know the last chapter of our book I just don’t know all the pages between today and then and so we’re still telling our story. We’re writing our story. We. We’re constantly looking and saying what can we do? better. How do we make our kitchens a little bit bigger without sacrificing dining space. So again, a little long winded but the the architecture is more predicated on constantly trying to be better operationally and then that turns into aesthetically.
22:38.58
vigorbranding
You Yeah, they go.
22:54.46
Craig
You know, something different for for each and every store.
22:54.73
vigorbranding
Um.
22:59.18
Craig
Yeah, but that goes back to also you know like we we have this we have this menu item ah in Indianapolis which one which is our most recent restaurant. It’s called killer grill trip. So amazing. It’s awesome. It has nothing to do with Indianapolis and so you know sometimes people will say well.
23:07.66
vigorbranding
And the menus a little different depending on the location too correct.
23:18.14
Craig
You know the menu caters to the local clientele. Yes, and no I think all of our food caters to the local clientele. It’s it’s straightforward. You know, casual American themed themed restaurant. But I think again, it’s more about this innovation.
23:28.10
vigorbranding
Um, and who is.
23:36.24
Craig
Putting our chefs to work constantly exploring new taste buds and and trying also as we’ve gotten bigger to overlap use of product so that we’re not bringing in just 1 item for 1 menu but really trying to see if we can expand upon it. So The menu is also about constant curation of um tasting trying and ultimately it makes it onto to new bad news.
24:08.54
Craig
Yeah, for well yeah, there’s there’s 14 day parts in a week and you could you could test me but I’ve been there I’ve done it and I still haven’t gotten sick of it. Yeah, but you should watch us at a tasting it tasing is fun to watch because.
24:15.95
vigorbranding
And as long as you like it because I think you said in 1 of your articles you you could eat there fourteen days in a row or something like that. Okay, yeah.
24:27.43
Craig
You know what tastes right? to 1 person you taste off to another and it’s just so funny how you get into all the intricacies and just try to make the best product possible.
24:34.15
vigorbranding
Ah, that’s great. Let’s fantastic. Um, what? oh yeah, yeah.
24:41.91
Craig
Yeah I mean you know the the costs are certainly you know continue to Rise and I think our business. It’s certainly a for profit business. Don’t get me wrong, but because we have a long horizon on how we.
24:50.12
vigorbranding
That’s awesome. What do you think is the best or the best The biggest challenge facing restaurants these days. What are you seeing is the biggest challenge.
25:01.35
Craig
Look at the the company as a whole I think we could be a little bit more patient but you know the the costs continue to go up and you know we don’t just take price just because everybody else is and sort of keep up with those rising costs the wages.
25:06.40
vigorbranding
E no.
25:19.76
Craig
Construction costs the the the day parts of delivery versus dine in work from home versus coming to the office all of those I think are real challenges I mean when you when you look at the business as a whole you’re just constantly competing with.
25:24.48
vigorbranding
In here.
25:39.59
Craig
With your next door neighbor and we don’t want to cut costs just to get more bodies inside of the restaurant. We really want to maintain our integrity. We want to maintain our value on the plate. We don’t want to trim down on. The the quality or the specs that we offer and so I think what we’re blessed with is this long horizon but the the costs right now are definitely the most challenging part of our business.
26:01.47
vigorbranding
Moon.
26:22.26
vigorbranding
Yeah I mean that that makes an awful lot of sense. Sorry, let’s have some fun. So ah, back to your your sixth grade. Ah, ah you meet Alan Bernstein and you write a report. Okay and it’s for school.
26:24.60
Craig
I Mostly gotten help from my mom there.
26:34.10
vigorbranding
Ah, you interviewed Allen in the report and you asked them really I’ll say some really incredible questions I’ll say for a 12 year old it was good. In fact, there are better questions. Ah okay, that’s a good mom right there and I would say there’ are actually better questions that I’m asking you so I mean but yeah, you got lots of credit for that or your mom does I should say.
26:34.66
Craig
Yeah.
26:50.14
vigorbranding
So um, I’m going to ask you the same questions and and I want to see I mean let’s see if you answer them the same way that Allen answered them in his ah in his ah ah in his answers in the report. So the modern day you let’s go when you hire a manager and people ah to work for for you. What do you look for.
26:55.12
Craig
Yeah, you know number 1 is genuine friendliness I mean one of the pillars of our company is genuine hospitality and I think the way somebody presents themselves and um, the. The truthfulness in the way that they engage it really tells everything we can teach you how to run one of our restaurants we can put you through our sixteen week training program and teach you all the different intricacies from the kitchen to the front of house but genuine friendliness is. Is something that can’t be taught.
27:45.59
vigorbranding
That’s awesome. Allen’s answer was very very similar and it’s’s I think it’s it’s dead on because I would do this all day long up and down I look for attitude. This is what he said and the ability to communicate and I get such a huge thing I taught my kids I mean my my daughters. The 1 thing I got instilled in them. Ah, being very young I said look you got to look people in the eye. You’ve got to talk to them. Don’t be afraid tell them what you think just be sincere and communication skills are are huge. All right next question at what point did you know to expand now you asked this of Allen and I’ll see what the.
28:06.55
Craig
Yeah, yeah, you know the the business the business model always was to have more than one. Um, so store 2 for example in Chicago we signed that lease before store one opened.
28:20.29
vigorbranding
But your answer would be.
28:22.40
Craig
And that was probably the most dangerous part of the whole business because store one if I could tell you the war stories that we had there would be unbelievable. So I think we knew to expand once we got store 1 and 2 under under our our footing.
28:33.40
vigorbranding
Wow.
28:41.40
Craig
And we felt like the team was able to grow from within and we were able to start promoting hourly employees to managers managers to general managers general managers to new Store Openers and so I think the the growth from within from a people standpoint. I think put us in ah in a confident position to start growing the business.
29:12.63
Craig
Um, and keep in mind he was swapping to a 10 year old
29:14.10
vigorbranding
Very good. His answer was because I had a plan for how many to build so sometimes sometimes that could be revisionist history right? Like you know he’s just giving you like he’s 1 word like these little short sentence answers. It sounded pretty like he had all figured out. Yeah, that’s true. That’s true.
29:21.10
Craig
Um, yeah, yeah and I did gain about 60 stores at the time by then.
29:28.50
Craig
Yeah I’ll show you my American Airlines travel app you know we’re traveling we’re we’re in the restaurants we’re we’re engaging with the team. We’re engaging with guests. We’re doing. You know we’re doing constant evaluations on food and service.
29:30.25
vigorbranding
But I think he’s trying to impress you by the the way he’s throwing these these answers down. So how do you maintain? How do you maintain the quality of all your restaurants.
29:48.29
Craig
But I think that’s a little bit. You know it sort of comes from um you know, really trying to give the general managers ownership of their restaurants and so even if we’re in 1 restaurant today. We’re still not in 8 other restaurants and if we’re we’re in 1 store.
29:48.57
vigorbranding
Ah.
30:07.81
Craig
And so I think it really comes down to letting the general managers you know own their business operate it like it was their 4 walls and you know we we do a lot of follow ups. We try to give them the tools to be successful. Um, but ultimately I think the.
30:09.19
vigorbranding
Are 8
30:26.20
Craig
The the businesses is as successful as the people who who run them and that’s really where we spend a lot of time and emphasis. Um on trying to grow.
30:41.70
Craig
Ah, well I think what’s fun about my job is you can have a ah day that is the easiest day in the world and everything is just moving right? along and nothing comes up and then you can have another day where it seems like nothing’s going right.
30:45.10
vigorbranding
Um, yeah, that’s excellent, all right? So how challenging is your job.
30:59.40
Craig
And so I think the the job is gonna always ebb and flow. Um, it’s gonna always have peaks and valleys I think the the what I try to focus on now is not getting you know too far deep into the valleys and let that. 1 instant Trump or overshadow all the positives that we have going on so the the job is challenging. But I think any job is challenging and and I think our our job is equally rewarding.
31:32.76
vigorbranding
In here.
31:34.28
Craig
For as challenging as it is and we can go to a restaurant and we could see all the smiling faces and we can see all the repeat guests that we’re so privileged to serve and I think seeing that in real time helps to offset. Maybe some of the challenges that you know running running restaurants come with.
31:52.75
vigorbranding
In who.
32:00.47
Craig
Ah, ah, ah.
32:04.11
vigorbranding
Yeah, yeah, that’s great. That’s great. Allan answered that by my job is very challenging because I’m always trying to be on the top’ ah, that’s great. That’s great. You know and but you know with some of the things you say my. My family’s always had restaurants. My brother-in-law ah runs a restaurant now in ah in a small town in Pennsylvania and it’s sort of like the it’s sort of like the community center of the town and to me it’s it’s kind of really cool. In fact, so much so that he put up pictures black and white photographs from the old town. Historical picture. So people who come in and look at them and as crazy as it sounds. It’s the same people like night after night night after night they’re in there regularly, some people are in there every day some people are in there like once a week on the same night. They eat the same things. It’s just like I don’t know it’s it’s a really unique thing and and boy if you can get that.
32:57.48
Craig
Yeah, no to to totally I mean I think I think for us, you know we’re trying to you know again as we write our story and and you know history will be able to look back and determine Ultimately what type of restaurant we created. But I think.
32:57.68
vigorbranding
And get that kind of patronage. It’s just a wonderful thing and they’re all like friends and it’s just it’s just wild you end up like you said you take care of these folks and you you treat them right? and and they have a great experience and it just becomes ah a part of their life. It’s pretty cool, pretty cool.
33:13.30
Craig
You know the the goal is to kind of be the the community neighborhood restaurant with some you know chain systems that make the experience consistent from visit to visit and and I think if we can do that and go into these markets.
33:14.71
vigorbranding
You know.
33:25.27
vigorbranding
Um.
33:28.63
vigorbranding
E.
33:32.37
Craig
And be a place where the community can come after soccer games on the weekends and come after graduations and come for date night or come with the family I mean those are the types of memories that ultimately growing up. We always went to. The local restaurant for different experiences each time if Doc Bees can become that consistently. Um in each location that we have I think that you know that that’s ultimately what I think our mission is is inevitably going to be.
34:05.20
vigorbranding
3
34:18.24
Craig
Yeah, yeah, well I’ll say this way I know nothing else. So I my only answer is yes you know what what I try not to do now is I I don’t try to get caught up so much in the everyday.
34:19.68
vigorbranding
That’s awesome. So the last question in your question for him and I’m going to answer it that and you can I want to know your answer if you could start all over would you stay in the same business and and of course ah Alan said yes I love it. What’s your answer Greg.
34:35.27
Craig
Because I think if you get caught up in the everyday you can become overwhelmed I mean the the daily grind of business in general and specifically the restaurant business can definitely overwhelm somebody and so what I try really now to do is be be a couple of.
34:46.17
vigorbranding
Who.
34:53.75
Craig
Couple of steps ahead and think about you know where we’re trying to go with the business and the growth and the team be thankful for the past and all of those experiences ah have got us to hear and so my answer is yes I would do it all over again. Just sometimes wish that you know the the lessons that I’m now learning 10 years into it came a little earlier and I’m sure in ten more years I’ll wish what I know then I thought about now and just to kind of get through some of the more challenging days.
35:14.83
vigorbranding
Right? well.
35:23.30
vigorbranding
It’s awesome.
35:33.83
Craig
Yeah, the next restaurant is under construction in Carry North Carolina which is adjacent to Raleigh in the Durham area. Super excited about it. It’s a new lifestyle center called Fenton and I think um, you know’s it’s it’s going to thrive and in that again.
35:39.20
vigorbranding
Yeah, yeah, no doubt So what’s next for duck bees. Any new markets anything new and exciting coming up.
35:49.42
Craig
Neighborhood community environment and then from there you know, sort of like slow and steady wins the race you know one 2 restaurants a year looking across across the country where we think what we know has worked up until this point can.
35:51.23
vigorbranding
Um, yeah.
36:01.37
vigorbranding
Me.
36:07.92
Craig
Hit the repeat button and work again, you know it’s amazing. The the people and the team and the real estate is really the recipe for success and if we can get those 2 things right over and over and over.
36:08.61
vigorbranding
Yeah.
36:17.70
vigorbranding
Like.
36:24.37
Craig
I Think we’re gonna have a really successful business on our hands. Yeah.
36:38.96
Craig
You know I wish I could give you some like crazy over the top like grand answer for that. But the truth is I would have 2 slices of New York pizza and I’d have it served with a Coca-cola.
36:40.19
vigorbranding
That’s awesome. No no, no argument there all right? So your very last question. Okay and can’t be your restaurant even though I know you love your food. Ah if you had 1 final meal. What would you eat and why.
36:56.36
Craig
And I would go to any pizzerie in New York city it doesn’t need to be Joe’s or John’s or Rays could be anywhere I’d sit at the counter I’d take some greasy ah parmesan cheese and red chillli flake and poured on my two slice of pizza and.
37:10.21
vigorbranding
Yeah e.
37:13.60
Craig
I would be in heaven. And how I old in Chicago so I hope I don’t get out.
37:19.59
vigorbranding
Um, yeah, it’s not a bad answer me and I’ll tell you there’s something about New York pizza that’s tough to beat. So listen I yeah yeah, right.
37:26.84
Craig
There.
37:37.23
vigorbranding
And they do that fixed off you know I like a nice nice thin New York pizza you know so hey Craig you were awesome I really appreciate this. It was a lot of fun I mean obviously I never got to meet your father but I can tell you I know he’d be really proud of this and it’s a shame. He didn’t get to see.
37:40.42
Craig
That’s very small.
37:47.22
Craig
Thank you for having me Michael this was great.
37:52.30
vigorbranding
What you’ve created and and and even Allen I mean it would Allen I’m sure would just be thrilled to death so that’s that’s all great stuff. Thank you? So so much for your time I really enjoyed talking to you all right? buddy.
