Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryan Kaeser.
Bryan, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My first venture into the restaurant industry was with Dallas Beer Kitchen in 2013. It had 30 taps of craft beer, a full selection of liquor and a menu fairly dominated by burgers and other sandwiches. After selling to a restaurant group, I took what I learned from the experience and wrote several business plans. Two of those have come to fruition today. In Downtown Duncanville and own and operate two establishments – Black & Bitter Coffee and Books and Mudhook Bar and Kitchen.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. Like many in the industry, I stumbled along my first journey into the business. What matters is how one reacts to failure and challenges – do you give up or do you identify opportunities and take action on them? Some of the struggles I encountered were a poor launch, a decaying building that took a lot of money to upkeep, a lack of quality research on the building’s poor location and staff turnover. Many of those things can be controlled through proper research and execution, but some things were out of my hands. The main opportunity in that category would be road construction. The widening of sidewalks was great for the neighborhood in the long run, but in the short term, it caused a severe decline in sales for over one year. as a result of all of these challenges, I built a business plan and looked for real estate that would counteract any of them happening again. In Downtown Duncanville, I’m in a fairly new building, the sidewalks and streets have already been widened for a walkable, hometown feel and it has a strong location with plenty of traffic. When you combine all of these, you can control the other variables that lead to high turnover. It leaves you time to focus on your employees, so they can focus on your customers.
Please tell us about your business.
My main business is Mudhook Bar and Kitchen. We have 12 craft beers on tap, a full wall of liquor, signature cocktails and specialize in burgers and other sandwiches. We’re known for the best craft selection in South Dallas and quickly becoming known for one of the best burgers in the Dallas metro area. At Black & Bitter Coffee and Books, we have a great specialty partner in Counter Culture Coffee. We’ve created a strong sense of community there. It’s become a meeting spot for authors, artists and neighbors. I’m proud to provide jobs to 20 people in this part of town that many people haven’t invested in for a long time. I’m also proud and believe it sets me apart, to truly run a values-based company that appreciates its employees. I just ask that they Be Nice and Respectful, Be Productive and Be Curious. Doing these three things makes for a great work environment, which leads to a great place to come to drink and eat in.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is very subjective. I’m getting old and have worked a long time now. To me, success is defined as being happy and passionate about what you do and controlling your expenses so you can afford to do that. Success is not having a car payment, working to get your house paid off so you can afford that vacation to the Swiss Alps for a couple of weeks. Love what you do, so you can do the things you love. There are a lot of people who buy things outside of their means, buried under a mountain of debt and forced to work themselves to death with no time to enjoy things.
Contact Info:
- Address: 100 S. Main St.
Duncanville, TX 75116 - Website: mudhookbar.com and blackandbitter.com
- Email: info@mudhookbar.com and info@blackandbitter.com
- Instagram: @mudhookbar and @blackandbittercoffee
- Facebook: facebook.com/mudhookbar and /blackandbittercoffee
- Twitter: @mudhookbar and @blackandbittercoffee
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