Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan of Domani Star.
Hi Morgan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Wow…ok.. I guess story short would be I didn’t like college, worked in restaurants, worked for an amazing boss that taught me anything I wanted to learn, and after 3 years I bought the restaurant from him.
Long story:
I attended Colgate University but realized I wanted to work with my hand. I dropped out of school and immediately began working in restaurants since I’ve always been drawn to hospitality and food – probably since I’m Italian. After serving in a couple local places, I snagged a job at a Doylestown staple, Domani Star. I had eaten at Domani since I was a kid and was thrilled to get the job. There was an atmosphere at the restaurant that felt cozy and comforting. You could tell the staff liked to be there and the kitchen cared about the food. As a BYOB they had to survive off the quality of the food and it showed. Anyways, as a new server, I had slow shifts and was in awe of the kitchen workers – we have an open kitchen here so I could watch them cook and prep while I was serving. This led me to ask to “volunteer” in the kitchen so I could learn. I did so and ended up cooking lunch and brunch a couple months later and keeping my serving shifts. (This was quite a trip since I remember eating at Domani with my dad when I was 10, watching the kitchen, and being in awe. Here I was 15 years later doing the same thing..wild) With that experience I earned a position at another local eatery, Genevieve’s Sandwich Shop, and became her sous chef when she opened her full service restaurant. All the while I stayed at Domani.
After a bit, the original owner of Domani and my boss of 3 years was struggling to keep on top of day-to-day restaurant activities. I mentioned to him that if he was willing I would be interested in buying the restaurant from him. I knew little about this but, thankfully, my dad is a CPA and helped navigate the health of the current business as well as the sale. That was April 1, 2015…I was 24 years old. People were surprised to hear my age and ownership but my boss had seen my dedication to his “baby” and capabilities despite my age.
Here we are 11 years, one pandemic, and many many lessons later. Everyone knows the lore of the restaurant business being risky, crazy, and difficult but I guess I am too. It is tough but to this day I love what I do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
COVID was a real struggle. Turning a full service restaurant into take out only was a wild ride. I started doing take out right away figuring we’d just sell out of the food we had and then ride out the “two week closure”. We were busy with the take out so we kept it going. Our customers were wildly supportive and encouraging. Its all a blur but pivoting from take out to outdoor tables to 50% indoor capacity to 25% indoor capacity back to take out only certainly kept us on our toes. I had an AMAZING staff that stayed through with me and my family even came in to help bag logos and run food to cars.
I also expanded into the building next door to promote special events and private parties. Another growing pain but well worth it in the end.
Of course staffing is a classic issue in any business but I’ve found restaurants get a special burn here. Restaurant work is not highly respected and thus attracts transitional employees or unserious ones. Finding the right people has been a tough road but once we find them they stick around.
We’ve been impressed with Domani Star, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re an 35 seat Italian restaurant in the heart of Doylestown Boro. We’re BYOB and live and die by the quality of our food. We make everything from scratch – roast our red peppers, bake our desserts, whisk our dressings, toast own nuts, blend our soups, bread our mozzarella and chicken breasts – nothing is from a can or jar and nothing is frozen.
People don’t understand how commonplace it is for restaurants to order these items pre prepared. They’d be shocked to see an order list from US Foods or CYSCO with the things you can order premade or frozen. We don’t mess with that – we have a real love of food here.
How do you think about luck?
A lot! But YOU need to have your eyes open to spot your luck and you can make some of your own luck. I am grateful for the luck I’ve had. Namely my dad being a CPA and my boss trusting me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.DomaniStar.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/domanistar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DomaniStar
