A Day In The Life: Culver's

What’s it really like to run a restaurant?

In this episode of Chamber Amplified, we continue our “Day in the Life” series with a look inside the restaurant industry, featuring Danielle Doxsey of Culver’s of Findlay.

From early mornings to late nights, Danielle shares what it takes to lead a team, serve customers, and balance the constant challenges of staffing, sourcing, and rising costs. We also dive into common misconceptions about “fast food,” the importance of company culture, and how technology like AI is beginning to reshape operations.

Whether you’re a business owner, considering a career in hospitality, or just someone who enjoys a great meal out - this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at an industry that impacts all of us.

Music and sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Transcript

Falling Into Restaurant Leadership

Doug Jenkins 0:05

Hello everyone and welcome back to another edition of Chamber Amplified, brought to you by the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. I'm your host, Doug Jenkins. Each week on the podcast, we're talking about the things that matter the most to local businesses and organizations, from workforce and leadership development to marketing, IT issues, and the everyday realities of running something that serves our community. We're back today with another day in the lifestyle episode, a little earlier than planned. Normally we'll be doing these at the end of each month, but uh last week had the great pleasure of popping a rib out of place that kind of put my entire schedule out of whack. So uh we bumped it up a little bit because we already had the interview ready to go and uh needed to chase some other people down on some other topics that we want to do. So look for these at the end of the month going forward, but we're hopping right back into it now. This time we're taking you inside the restaurant industry, something that we all interact with, but maybe we don't truly understand, maybe unless you've worked food service at one time or another. And uh obviously restaurants are near and dear to our hearts, so I'm sure people will ask, well, how do you pick which business that you're going to feature in these day of the life episodes? I'll tell you, it's a very, very scientific process. I go to the chamber online directory, I search the category of the industry that I want to highlight, and then whoever shows up at the top wins. That's because we have it set to randomize, you don't get the triple A advantage, it's not alphabetical, so this time I hit it and culverse came up. That's the entire process. So, what I enjoyed about this conversation with Danielle Doxsey is it goes way beyond what's your favorite menu item, although we do get into that at the end. I mean, come on, we're talking about food, we have to ask that question. We talk about leadership in restaurants, culture, hiring, supply chain challenges, even how AI is going to shape drive-throughs in the future, which is not something I'd really thought about, but sounds pretty cool. And maybe most importantly, we'll talk about why restaurants aren't just about the food, they're really about the people inside the business, which sounds cliche, but when you hear Danielle talk about it, it'll make a lot of sense. Remember, if you enjoy the podcast, don't forget to leave us a rating and review and share it with others. We're also on YouTube now, so if you like to watch podcasts rather than listen, we're right there for you as well. You can subscribe to the Chambers YouTube channel. You can subscribe to us on Apple Music, Spotify. We're like American Express. We're everywhere you want to be. With that said, let's get into it. Let's uh before we talk about Culver so just what your your day is like, everything, let's let's talk a little bit about how you came into the restaurant industry and how that came to be.

Danielle Doxsey 2:39

Uh, so long story short, um, I went to school, I graduated from Ohio University, actually, um, and I wanted to do event planning. So my degree um was a Bachelor of Science in Human and Consumer Science Education, really fancy for hospitality management. Um, and I actually said my my senior year, um, I was determined to have a job before I graduated because, you know, student loans. Um and I said I did not want to work in a restaurant. That was like my one thing that I said. Um, lo and behold, none of my jobs that I applied for panned out. And I was home one weekend, a big sign that said Culver's coming soon, uh hiring for managers. And I was like, well, I have a college degree. I know I have no idea what Culver's is, but it says manager. So um, and I went to the interview not prepared at all. Um I was asked what I knew about Culver's, and I said nothing. Um, so somehow I ended up still getting the job. Uh, and so I started with uh Culvers of Findlay uh in June of 2011, and here I am today.

Doug Jenkins 3:52

And the restaurant uh has been there ever since. If it makes you feel any better, when I was getting out of college, I I wanted to work in radio, and I did, but I swore I don't want to work at a country radio station. And would you like to know the first radio station I worked at? Country music. So I got uh I went to school in Rascal Flats those days.

Danielle Doxsey 4:11

Oh, yes, yep.

Doug Jenkins 4:12

Let's uh let's talk about a typical day uh running a restaurant and and running culverts in Finland. What does it look like for you?

Danielle Doxsey 4:20

Um, I wouldn't really say there's a typical day because every day is different. Um, you know, we have someone here as early as 6 a.m. Um, so usually that's when I'm kind of I'm not totally alert at 6 a.m. because I'm not a morning person, but things do arise. And so um obviously I've got all the alerts on my phone for um, you know, alarms being disabled and all of that. So I kind of slowly wake up and then um, you know, sometimes people are here till 1 a.m. closing. And so that's I'm kind of on all day long um in regards to whatever may pop up in the day.

Doug Jenkins 5:01

I feel like that's gonna be a common theme as we do these uh day in the life of type of stories, is uh when we talk to people, it's you're on call 24-7 uh when you run a business, no matter what the business is, I feel like. Uh I want to go back to something you said you you didn't want to work in the restaurant industry. Lo and behold, your first job out of college is in the restaurant industry and you've been doing it ever since. How did your relationship with working in restaurants evolve over that time? Was it something that you immediately are like, oh hey, I actually kind of like this, or is it something that kind of gradually you're like, you know what, this is pretty cool?

Culture And People First Management

Danielle Doxsey 5:35

Um, so I mean, I started working when I was 16. My first job was Archie's. Um, and I kind of did food ever since, even in college, and I was like just set on not doing food anymore. Um, and then with Culvers, I really was just like, okay, I'll just work here until I find my dream job um of doing event planning. But then through, you know, in working at Culver's and I started to go to management classes out in Wisconsin, and I just knew it was something different. It was something special. The the culture is truly um what has kept me, and it's how I believe that a business should be run. You put the people first. We often say we're in the people business, we're not in the restaurant business. Um, and it is like that from the top down. Um, going to my very first class out in Wisconsin, a low-level manager class, and you have Craig Culver there in the class speaking, and you get to have dinner with him afterwards. I mean, that that speaks volume to um truly the culture that has been created with Culvers.

Doug Jenkins 6:45

It really is a Midwest operation, I think, from the top down. There's always some some fun jokes about that. That's funny. Someone got scared in the background that they walked behind you there. Uh but and it sounds that like that's kind of what you're you're talking about, is uh it's very family focused, it's very community focused, and uh knowing you the way that that I have over the years, that that definitely is something you're drawn to.

Danielle Doxsey 7:11

Yes, yeah, and and even with Calvers as well, being involved with the community, that's kind of the expectation um as an owner operator is that you will be immersed into your community. And that's something I mean, I wanted to go into event planning and doing non-for-profit. So that is it's it's such a blessing to be able to do it in such a bigger way than if I was just working for a non-for-profit, right? Because now I have a business and I can pour back into those organizations in a such a bigger way than had I just been working for a non-for-profit.

Doug Jenkins 7:46

We'll go a little bit into that right now, actually. I actually had Paul Hattie on from uh from Chick-fil-A uh a few months ago to talk about how franchise businesses really operate as local businesses. And we don't have to go through that full conversation again, but I think it's worth revisiting here because I see that discussion in the community from time to time. Uh, and I think that might be the most understood part about franchise businesses like a culverse.

Respect For Restaurant Work

Danielle Doxsey 8:11

Yes, exactly. Yeah. I mean, we are a small business. We have all of the same struggles um as a small business when it comes to taxes and all of those sort of things. And and um, and then we have an added layer, right? Because we're a franchise. So um we have franchising fees and we have rules um that we have to follow in regards to standard operating procedures and those sort of things. Um so it adds an extra layer, but we are part of the community, uh, we're from the community, and all of those things still apply to us. Um and I yeah, there's definitely a misconception there because um, you know, we're a franchise, we're not corporate. So we're not corporate owned. We we're a single unit entity, uh, and so we have to do all of those things individually on our own, insurance and and those sort of things. So those things that um other businesses struggle with, we struggle with those too.

Doug Jenkins 9:08

Outside of that, what is one thing that you wish more people knew about the restaurant industry?

Danielle Doxsey 9:15

Um, that it's fun. All right. I think there's just um sometimes there's astigmatism that uh, you know, when you're in the quick service restaurant or fast food, um you're kind of looked down upon or looked to as less than. Um but there I mean, the people that I work with day to day, my crew is absolutely phenomenal. And I would put pick them over, you know, someone who has some fancy degree any day. Um, you know, and so just because, you know, there's not college degrees or or fancy stuff attached to it doesn't mean that they aren't contributing a huge way to the community in in the work that they're doing. It's it's way more than just pressing butter burgers and scooping custard.

Doug Jenkins 10:06

It uh it goes to show that the people you surround yourself with will really have a huge impact on that. Uh certainly I've had culvers a time or two. Uh, and every time I've been there, it's a friendly staff, it's it's uh a bunch of good people in there, good kids getting their first job, things like that. You even had retirees come out of uh retirement uh to pick up a couple of shifts. Um, even got some national attention for that. If I uh if that remember right, yeah, all of that. But um, I think that speaks to it's gonna be a lot more fun if you're surrounded by people that you enjoy working with. And it sounds to me like that's what you have going on there.

Danielle Doxsey 10:42

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And we put a lot of effort into making sure those that we choose for our true blue family uh are a great fit for our family. We want the right people and we're gonna pour into them. Um, oftentimes people ask, where do you find your people? I'm like, they're the same people as everyone else hires. Um we just pour into them a little differently. You know, we we treat them as a person, not just a position filler. You know, when and I mean, anybody, if you give them the right tools, they can press a butterburger or they can drop fries. Um, but it's a team effort. And so we need people um that are willing to work together as a family. That's why we call ourselves a family, because you don't always get along, but you still love them, right? Um, and so that's why uh we no matter what, no matter how crazy it gets, today for lunch, it's a Monday. We're expecting not to be that busy, and we got slammed. We got a bus, um, we got all of the things, but you know, we stuck together, we powered through it. We even had um someone come in and she was in her street clothes. I I put out an SOS. I was like, if anybody's driving by, um, and she hopped right in, hopped in and and helped with custard, and so it's those little things uh that that truly make a difference.

Supply Chain And Pricing Pressures

Doug Jenkins 12:01

What are some of the bigger challenges that face the restaurant industry?

Danielle Doxsey 12:07

Um I would say sourcing, um, for sure, right now in in today's world. I think kind of ever since after um COVID, you know, finding the the right products and and the timeliness of it as well. Um, that's one thing with Culver's. Uh, we never sacrifice the quality of our product. Um, and so that that brings on other pressures. Um, you know, increased pricing. We're not gonna sacrifice, you know, we won't sacrifice quality. And so prices are rising. And so then you have that struggle of, you know, we're paying more for stuff, but you still want to keep your guests happy. So you don't want to jack up prices. Um, so it's all about that balance and and figuring out um how to keep everybody happy.

Doug Jenkins 12:57

Well, and I would imagine part of that, and this is unique, I think, to franchise restaurants, is the you know, Culver says, all right, this is going to be uh a special we have this month, then it's uh I suppose you have the the I always see the fine print on any fast food where it's like may not be available at all locations. I suppose you have the option to to do or not do it, but I think more often than not you end up doing it, but then that probably leads to more sourcing challenges. And how's this going to operate how's this going to change our our flow in the kitchen and everything that goes along with that?

New Menu Items And Operations

Danielle Doxsey 13:32

Yes. And and the great thing about Culvers is they um they extensively trial stuff and everything before um rolling it out to restaurants. Um, but I do remember when pretzel bites were first rolled out, we're like, what in the world is happening? Um because we actually all of those cheese cups um have to be portioned individually. So someone is portioning every single one of those cheese cups um because it's real cheese. It's Wisconsin cheddar cheese. It's not a nacho cheese, it is real cheese. So it's got dairy in it. Um so it has to be, you know, it's only good for so long. It has to be um prepared every so often. I mean, we are portioning cheese sauce every single day. Um so but yeah, those challenges are, you know, it's figuring out what works best for our restaurant because, like you said, some of those things are optional, but some of them aren't. And so um we have to find what works best for our restaurant and our team.

Doug Jenkins 14:30

What are the things that excite you for the future of the restaurant industry?

Danielle Doxsey 14:36

Ooh, um, well, one thing that I am excited about is being able with our speed of service um using AI in that aspect. So um being able to uh track the cars um in drive-thru instead of using the system we use now. Um what we use right now is just a bump system. So it's relying on the person that sets the food to bump the order to know how long that it took that guest to get the food. Okay, which we all know there's lots of human error there. Um, and so we're finding a way to get a more accurate result of how much time the guests are spending on our lot um and understanding how we can make that better for them. Because with a drive-thru, we all know, especially being off the highway, you want to be able to get in and get out.

Doug Jenkins 15:29

Absolutely, but that's a really cool application of the technology there. So that'll be interesting to see that roll out and how that uh drives efficiency. Uh definitely you want to be efficient. I get the impression though, talking with you, it's not a slave to efficiency. You're still going to take the time to do things right uh without cutting quarters, which I think that is a lot of what people worry about with the restaurant industry now, and it's not necessarily franchises and uh locally owned and operated like you guys are, but sometimes directives come down from corporate and you may not want to do them, but you have to. You're not in that position. Uh but you still have to be efficient. That's another balancing act that you have to do.

Quick Service Not Fast Food

Danielle Doxsey 16:11

Yes, yeah. And especially what a lot of people don't understand is um we are a quick service restaurant, we are not fast food. Um, so just because we have a drive-thru, people assume that we are fast food. We're not. So we truly do not make your food until you order it. If once you order that patty, that's when we press those patties on the grill. Um, once you order those onion rings, that's when we drop those onion rings. Um, even like the crispy chicken, for instance, for instance, that takes five minutes to cook alone. So you're looking at a five-minute wait time from the moment that you order it and it gets put into our system for the fryer person to drop it. Um, and so that's what a lot I try to help educate people on is when we say we're making your food fresh, we truly are. Um, we don't have warmers in the back just holding burgers or holding tenders. Um, there is nothing of that sort. It is being made when you order it.

Restaurant Careers And Mentorship

Doug Jenkins 17:07

That's uh and I I feel like I've known that uh just um based on my trip through the drive-thru. I get my number and I pull up and I listen to my podcast or whatever, and I'm like, I'm gonna have some hot french fries out here in a second. Or actually, I'm gonna get the cheese curds. I'm lying about I'm getting the cheese curds. So one of the last questions I want to ask you is for, like you said, you had apprehension about going into the industry or continuing in the industry uh coming out of college. So if you were talking to someone who had that same apprehension now as they're looking to start a career, I I think there are a lot of great career opportunities in the restaurant field. In fact, you mentioned you have a degree in hospitality management. Uh, my oldest is about to receive his degree in hospitality management. So give him some advice on uh on not looking past the restaurant industry.

Danielle Doxsey 17:57

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is finding what fits, you know, you and in regards to um your beliefs and and your leadership style, if if leadership is what you're looking for or management, um, because every um organization is different, and even from restaurant to restaurant can be different. But um, I encourage anyone um not to look past this opportunity because especially myself, I mean, I was given an amazing opportunity. I started off as a manager, um, and Culver's has this beautiful um mentor program, and so uh you gain ownership um of a restaurant by partnering with someone else, with your so a mentee and a mentor, you go through spending time out at the family restaurants and at the support center. Uh, and so someone such as myself, I was given that opportunity at such a young age and I ran with it. Um, and that's what I try to tell so many people is if you're don't look past an opportunity just because it's not something that you're thinking you want to do. You know, keep your eyes and ears open to whatever it may be, because here I am 15 years later, getting ready to open a second location and hopefully several more.

Doug Jenkins 19:12

I was gonna ask if we could talk about that. Can uh can you tell people what's happening with the second location?

Danielle Doxsey 19:17

Yes, yeah. So we um purchased land in Lima, Ohio. Uh we'll be right across from the fairgrounds. Uh, we actually had our development meeting last Monday. Um, so we were picking out paint colors and floors and all of the things. Uh, I'm trying to like envision it in my head like what color here, what color there? Um, what stone do you want? Um, but all of that uh was done last Monday, and then working with um our contractors and our architect uh to get plans finalized. Uh, we probably will not open any sooner than spring of 2027 because there's a lot that goes into it. But I know that year is going to fly by with all of the planning and those sort of things. So um, but we also, you know, we have intentions of uh opening more than that, helping my brother is actually um RGM here, and he has aspirations to go through the mentor program um and open restaurants of his own, and we'll help him do that.

Doug Jenkins 20:18

So the last question people are gonna ask you this. I suppose you hear this every day, but what is your favorite menu item?

Danielle Doxsey 20:25

Well, today I had I've been trying to do stay away from um gluten. Okay. Um but we have our Colby Jack pub burger back, and that is Say no more. Say no more by far the best limited time burger we have ever offered. It is the best. Um, and that is what I had for lunch today. But keep in mind I had a broad sock of side of broccoli instead of um doing cheese curds. So, but that's the great thing about our menu, is there is something for everyone. Um, you know, if you're just wanting to get in on all of the gluttonous things, we've got that. But then also if you're trying to stay healthy, you can do that as well.

Hiring And Community Events

Doug Jenkins 21:09

The pub burger is my favorite. I'm so happy to hear it's back. And so I will be uh back by sometime soon to get that. Uh Danielle, for anybody who wants to learn more about uh Culvers here in Findlay, uh maybe you're hiring or or whatever the case may be, what's the best way to get in touch with you?

Danielle Doxsey 21:25

Um, so you can just go to Calvers uh.com and choose the Findlay location. On there, you'll see if we're hiring. We are hiring. Um, we're always looking for superstars. Uh, but you can see the flavor of the day list, uh, the soups that we have. Um, and then as far as staying connected on socials, uh Culvers of Findlay on Facebook and on Instagram. Uh we try to keep that updated with fun community happenings going on. Um, right now we are uh promoting our uh duck and jeeps for heroes. Uh, so we're really excited about that. Um, that's our first year of doing it, and so that'll be May sixteenth. Um, and really looking forward to that event.

Local Restaurant Community Support

Doug Jenkins 22:10

Actually, I have one last quiet. This happens uh about every fifth podcast. I think of one more question I want to ask while I think I'm wrapping it up. So uh I appreciate you sticking around for this. Uh restaurants certainly a very, very competitive industry. You've people have limited budgets, they're they're going out a little bit less these days. But in that competitive market space, what I've noticed with Findlay restaurant owners and restaurateurs is it seems to be a very cohesive group for the most part, where it's not necessarily like you were at the Chick-fil-A grand opening when we did the ribbon cutting for that. Uh you know, you're all competing against each other, but it seems like you all support each other at the same time.

Danielle Doxsey 22:50

Yes, yeah, absolutely. Um, there's you know, we all have our own spaces. Um, and so I think just focusing on our business and helping others where we can is it definitely makes a difference because we all have something different to offer, I believe. And it just depends on what that person is looking for for the day.

Doug Jenkins 23:12

Well, Danielle, we appreciate your time. Thanks for talking about the restaurant industry with us.

Takeaways And Chamber Invitation

Danielle Doxsey 23:16

Yes. Thank you so much. Have a good day.

Doug Jenkins 23:19

Well, there's one thing to take away from this conversation, it's that there's certainly a lot more that goes into a restaurant than I think a lot of times we think about on a day-to-day basis. And we didn't even get into the intricacies like scheduling and things like that. We just really talked about uh, you know, the type of peer person that they look for to work there. But when you have a lot of high school students working for you, scheduling can be a big issue. But I think they do a good job with that at Culvers, and they're a great place for kids to have their first job. Certainly things from sourcing ingredients to staffing, balancing speed and quality. There's a lot happening behind the scenes at any given moment. I think Danielle said it best, and like I said in the intro, this isn't just a cliche, even though it sounds like it. It's a restaurant, yes, but it's also a people business. Think about it when you're investing into how you manage your people and the type of people that you hire and how they represent you. It's uh, you know, we can all say that it's a family, certainly Danielle just did, but those types of things make it really about managing people. And then if you do that right, the food's gonna be quality as long as you're getting the management portion right. And I also like the reminder that sometimes that uh your career doesn't necessarily go the way you plan on it. It ends up being the job that sticks and sticks well. That was an interesting story about how Danielle came into it, of course. A big thanks to Danielle for joining us today, and we'll keep doing this day in the life series going forward to highlight more of the industries that are right here in Findlay and Hancock County. The next one will come up toward the end of May. Well, that'll do it for another edition of Chamber Amplified. This is a free podcast available to the community, made possible by the investment of our members here at the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. If you're looking at ways to get your business involved in the community, a lot of times the chamber is the best place to start that process. If you'd like to learn more, just send me an email, D Jenkins at Findlay Hancock Chamber.com, and we can talk about how an investment in the chamber not only helps your business, but the business community as a whole. Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you next time on Chamber Amplified from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.