LTN 2017-2018 ISSUES

20 Let’s Talk Trash! SEPT/OCT 2017

©2017 The Keenan Group, Inc

Who is Doug Crow ... a Professional Busboy or something else?

Where were you born? I was born and raised in Nashville. In fact, my entire family has been Nashvillians for decades. What was your favorite subject in school? Did you play any sports? Math, definitely! I played football as a defensive back and also ran the 100 meters in track where I won the district at Father Ryan High School. Ok, I have to ask, what was your favorite sandwich when you were a kid? PB&J, ham & cheese or what? Definitely bologna with mayo on white Why did you want to become a restaurant owner? When did you know it was what you wanted to do? I was raised by my mother and aunt and my aunt had a restaurant called Pee Wee’s. When I was 8 or 9 years old, I started helping out by doing dishes and cleaning up. As a kid, I loved using monopoly money as tips to the waitresses. I guess that is where I began my current career not knowing it at the time. You never know what chores and jobs you have become later in life. So, I guess I always wanted to be involved in the restaurant business as long as I can remember. Did you go to college? What did you study? Yes. I attended Nashville Tech, which is now called Nashville State College, and graduated with an associate degree in small business management. I always knew I wanted bread was my favorite! My grandmother knew exactly just how to fry it up right with those brown crispy edges! as a kid may play into what you will

to own my own business! A restaurant owner has to wear many hats. If someone wishes to become one, how should they prepare? What kind of skills, experiences, and education does one need to learn all the aspects of the restaurant business? Well, I call myself a professional bus boy! That means I am no better than those who help make the restaurant successful. Actually, we all work for the people (customers) who come in the door! First and foremost, it is very important to know how the back-end works. The back-end is where things get started, like the kitchen and all those who make it happen there before we can have a successful I have encouraged to learn this process. They started working in the kitchen and after awhile they graduated to the front line. To be successful in the restaurant business, you have to love people! It is a service business. Something like 60% of restaurants close within five years of opening. What, in your opinion, separates a successful restaurant from a failure? It is probably more than 60%. It is very important to be able to open and run a restaurant with three years of operating capital (money). If you want to have your own restaurant, you have to first do a lot of research to find a good location, what the community wants, and more important have working experience in this business. front line, which is where customers are served. I have two sons, Dalton 21 years old and Auston 18 years old, both of whom

What is a res•tau•ra•teur? Restaurateur vs. restauranteur The French word for a person who owns or runs a restaurant is restaurateur, with no n, and this is the spelling used most often in English, especially in edited writing. Restauranteur, with an n, appears in English about once for every ten instances of restaurateur. But while this spelling is common and has a long history, many people consider it wrong.

Editor’s Note: Doug Crow currently operates 12 Restaurants in Davidson and Cheatham counties: Dalton’s Grill: Bellevue The Alley Pub: Bellevue Winner’s: Midtown Swingin’ Doors: Downtown Nash Plantation Pub: Bellevue Hillwood Pub: West Nash Crow’s Nest: Green Hills Joe’s Place: Green Hills Dawghouse: Downtown Nash Sidelines: Ashland City & Pleasant View Nobles Kitchen: East Nash with future plans over the next 5 years to open 7 more Sidelines in surrounding communities of Nashville.

Franchise restaurants have only a slightly higher success rate than independently-owned

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