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How did you get started in the restaurant industry?

I actually started a business when I was 14, but my first management position was when I was 17; it used to be Silver Bullet Saloon, which is where Wellman’s Pub is now.

What are some restaurants you have worked at?

I worked at 112 Club on Fifth Street in West Des Moines. I opened the John Q. Hammons Holiday Inn, (which is) the Sheraton now; I taught table-side cooking and did the fine dining. I ran A Street Sufi Bar & Grill, which was Coach’s Corner (Sports Bar & Grill) and just now switched to Skybox (Lounge). Then I went up to the University of Northern Iowa and went to school and ran a few places up there, came back here and then took off to Chicago and was there for about 18 years, and now I’ve been back (in Des Moines) about four years.

Why did you come back to Iowa?

I actually was just going to come back for a couple of months because my mom’s health wasn’t that great, and then I heard Paul (Trostel) was behind in opening Dish, so I thought I would get him open, get his staff trained and then go back to Chicago. But we kept working out different deals, and I stayed and then I met my wife, so that was kind of a no-brainer at that point.

How did you land the position at Dos Rios?

I was looking for a little more growth opportunity; I felt like I was getting a little stifled (at Dish), so I was trying to make a change. I put my resume out there and there was a position on Monster.com. I applied and went through the whole process. Once I found out it was this restaurant, I had several meetings with (Dos Rios owners) Harry and Pam Bookey and their accountant, and we were able to come to an agreement that I was a good fit for here.

What are your responsibilities as general manager?

I’m in control of total operations. They pretty much give me a free hand; I am able to set up all the budgets, manage all the costs, advertising promotions, full (profit and loss) responsibilities.

Do you see the economy affecting the restaurant industry?

I think you are going to see a different kind of atmosphere in the restaurant business for probably the next six months. I think people’s entertainment dollar is shrinking. They are a little uncertain, this being an election year, and I think the true test will be once we hit the holiday season, when all the other costs have gone up and they are conscientious about how much money they have and they don’t want to extend their credit. I think everybody is just going to tighten up and cut back some things, so it will definitely affect us.

How has Dos Rios prepared for the downturn?

We are trying to put some things on the menu that are good values. We run different specials every night, whether it be food or alcohol, to give people a better price, and I think you will see a lot of people doing that to encourage people to come out. But after going over the budgets, for this winter we are going to close on Mondays (beginning Nov. 17). Sundays and Mondays tend to be slower days, so if we can reduce and not spend money on staff, we can afford to do things on other days.

Do you see yourself here for the long haul?

Yeah, I love working for the Bookeys. They have two restaurants down in Florida, and I get to give them some input on those places. I may even get to go down there off and on over the winter.

(Harry Bookey) is looking at other places in town here, so there is a lot of growth potential, which I like. I like to stay busy and I see myself managing multiple locations rather than just one.