When the order comes in, Craig Dotson can often tell which customer has just entered his restaurant,
Studio Grill at 312 West Michigan Avenue. Quickly, he serves it -- "Order up!" -- and Daphney Dotson, wife and co-owner, swirls into the kitchen and brings the meal out with a smile that spreads sunshine throughout the busy diner.
There's Mike's Omelet, there's the Moby Omelet, and then there's a burger so tasty the customer named Rusty said it hit his hunger nail on the head. Ever after, that burger became known as the Rusty Nail Burger and is now on the permanent menu -- a burger mixed with sausage and stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, served with Thousand Island Dressing on the side.
Dean Hauck, owner and next door neighbor at Michigan News Agency, has her own omelet, too, made just so and served up with care whenever she brings by a selection of magazines for customers to enjoy.
"We encourage our customers to create their own favorite meal," Craig Dotson says. "Sometimes the meal even ends up on the menu."
"When someone is hemming and hawing about what they want to eat, I ask them what they like," Daphney adds. A little of this, a little of that, a sprinkle, a toss, a stir, and voilá, a new freestyle meal is invented.
"When we opened Studio Grill a year ago, we thought we were opening a restaurant," she says. "But we found what we had opened was a vessel of inspiration."
Daphney Dotson isn't just talking food. She's also talking art. Working double-duty, she serves up both. The husband and wife team have each brought their own talents and passions to the restaurant. Even the name gives clues to the partnership -- Studio for Daphney's interest in art; Grill for Craig's mastery in the kitchen.
For Craig, trained in restaurant management with 34 years experience, Studio Grill was a dream that simmered and brewed for the last 14 of those years. While working in other area restaurants, he kept shaping his own plan, contemplating his own menu. For Daphney, a nurse by training with a knack for photography, the red and white walls of the diner beckoned to be decorated with local art.
"I want to inspire local artists, especially those who have never yet shown their work to show it here," she says.
Risking all, even cashing in their 401K retirement plans, the couple opened Studio Grill in February 2010. They recently celebrated a first year of booming success in a location that has seen an ongoing turnover of businesses in recent years.
He admits that the day before the grand opening "was the most stressful of my life. Health inspectors, building inspectors, fire inspectors --"
"I was a ball of nerves," Daphney adds.
When the building inspector found an electric connection that didn't meet new code, he threatened to close the place down before it could open. The electrician, half-way home already, turned around and came back to bring it up to code.
"Opening day was actually a day of relief." Craig says. The place filled up right away, he says, and it's been busy ever since.
"Opening day, they had to kick me out," Daphney says. Not really. Because the restaurant was so busy, she had to run out for more ingredients, more beverages. She's no longer a ball of nerves, she says. Work is too much fun.
Daphney is a vegan and her contribution to the burger menu includes a veggie burger, veggie sandwiches and a veggie panini. The items are popular even with those who enjoy meat. Studio Grill is one of a handful of restaurants in Kalamazoo offering dishes for vegans.
But what is it that has kept the little diner bustling, a popular eatery from the day it opened? What's the recipe? The Dotsons both grin, glancing at each other.
"Nothing frozen, nothing processed, all homemade," says Craig.
"Genuine customer service," says Daphney.
"We encourage our staff to learn the names of our customers," Craig says.
"It's not about collecting tips," Daphney says. "It's about collecting people. And we listen to our customers. When we first opened, we were wearing matching uniforms, and a rocker chick customer told us to lose the uniforms -- so we did."
Studio Grill is about comfort, too. Comfort food, comfortable surroundings (the plates come from Goodwill and the tall-back white chairs come from another downtown restaurant, now closed, called Soup Kettle), the comfort of being known by one's name, and coming back to the familiar, again and again.
Although open only for breakfast and lunch, Studio Grill serves approximately 175 people per weekend, and when Monday rolls around, 50 to 60 people come in regularly for coffee and breakfast.
"We may not get rich, doing this..." Craig begins; "but we're not flamboyant people. We don't care so much about stuff as great experiences," Daphney finishes.
It's clear on both their faces that Studio Grill is exactly that.
Zinta Aistars is a freelance writer from Portage and editor of literary ezine,
The Smoking Poet.
Photos by
Erik HolladayDaphney Dotson serves up some coffee during the lunch rush at Studio Grill.
Renee Cook, left, and Louise Taylor, both of Kalamazoo eat lunch at the Studio Grill. "We come here for lunch all the time," said Cook, "the fries are incredible."
Waitress Olivia Rappel gives a smile as she cashes out some customers at the Studio Grill.
Studio Grill is located at 312 West Michigan Avenue near the Michigan News Agency.
Craig Dotson takes care of the kitchen at the Studio Grill.
Russ Wagner, left, and Craig Dotson prepare food during the lunch time rush.
Studio Grill has homemade style food on the menu, along with coffee and deserts.
Daphney Dotson and Olivia Rappel serve lunch with a smile at the Studio Grill.