The Hungry Doghouse

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>By:2'> Susan Holly

This

could be the mother of all family businesses. There's Mom and Dad (Caroline and

Dean), their four sons -- Dean II, Jeff, Thad and Russell — and their

respective spouses — Cheryl, Tammy, Kristi and Jennifer. Some of the nine

grandkids also help out.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>That's the full Pauly family and the full staff of

The Hungry Doghouse in Bonita Springs. This is a family that works together to

stay together.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Opened last November, The Hungry Doghouse, at the

corner of U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road near Kmart, quickly gained a loyal

following with its variety of hot dogs, home cooking and family atmosphere. The

64-seat restaurant is often filled to capacity. Its apparent success has

already brought out-of-state inquiries about franchising the operation. The

next step, says 34-year-old Jeff Pauly, will be to add another restaurant in

the area. "We are not going to limit ourselves," he says. Of course,

expansion may mean going outside the immediate family for staffing.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>This is not the first business for the Pauly family.

They started out with Pauly Roofing and Construction, also in Bonita Springs.

They have maintained this business even since opening the restaurant, never

expecting the restaurant to take off so fast.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Keeping both businesses all in the family has meant

a lot of hard work—15-hour days seven days a week — but they all share the

burden. Everyone puts in long hours at the restaurant, as well as working

through their list of roofing projects. They also continue to build spec houses

in Bonita Springs.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>The work-intensive transition has been worth the

trouble. As voiced by one family member, "They are working more hours but

having more fun. Working 15 hours here [at the restaurant] is better than 10

hours on a roof with the sun on their backs."

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Staffing at The Doghouse is a little unorthodox. Not

only is the staff almost exclusively family members (with one or two exceptions

made to family friends), they have no specific job descriptions. As they show

up in the morning, they decide who wants to do what. "There is never a set

routine," explains Jeff. Generally speaking, however, the brothers do the

cooking, and their wives work out front. Dad stays in the kitchen and Mom

splits her time between the two. Everyone takes turns keeping the books. They

also have worked out the schedule so each husband-and-wife couple gets a full

day off together.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Even the kids pitch in. During the school year, the

bus drops them off in front of the restaurant, they do their homework, then

peel apples and potatoes for awhile before getting to play video games.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Family businesses, no matter how successful or how

big, can be the death of family harmony. The Paulys, however, seem to have it

worked out. Admittedly, they have their squabbles everyday, but luckily,

chuckles Jeff, "We all have short-term memories."

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>The family had been kicking around the idea of

opening a restaurant for a while — they all love to cook and eat — so when a

show aired on PBS about hot dog stands, they all watched, and that's all it

took. The Paulys were off and running looking for locations, investigating hot

dogs, and thinking up menus.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>They chose their location near Kmart for two

reasons: It had already been a restaurant so was already appropriately

equipped, and the parking lot was always full. They then tried out 22 types of

hot dogs before deciding on one (Vienna) and started putting together a menu.

Everyone pitched in, contributing recipes, from homemade meatloaf (made by

Tammy) on Mondays to Grandma's baked chicken (made by Kristi's grandmother)

every Sunday, in addition to half a dozen different hot dog combinations.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Financing was handled entirely within the family.

"Banks don't really like to make loans to roofers who want to open a

restaurant," notes Jeff.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Their initial advertising campaign consisted of

placing menus on windshields and telling everyone they knew about their new

endeavor. Having lived and worked in Bonita Springs for 18 years, they knew a

lot of people.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>They opened just before Thanksgiving and became very

busy very fast. They were still going strong as Southwest Florida's busy season

was winding down after Easter and wondering what the off-season would bring.

"We need those year-rounders," says Jeff, who notes they do get a

fair amount of business from local workers, particularly the lunchtime crowd.

After-church on Sundays is another popular time. "We have a lot of people

already who don't need a menu. That's a good sign," he says.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>After such a busy season, the family was looking for

a little bit of a break in the summer, but still hoping to keep a steady

clientele. "The biggest challenge," says Jeff, "has been getting

enough sleep." That may become even more of a challenge as they go forward

with plans for expansion.

mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>The family is surprised by their immediate success,

but has taken it in stride. "We're not business geniuses," says Jeff.

Their secret is simple, he adds: The food is good. "We cook it the way we

like it, and hope everyone else likes it, too."

style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt'>Susan Holly is a freelance

writer and editor, based on Sanibel.