279 Nine Mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220
248-591-9163
Rosie O’Grady’s may sound like your typical Irish pub, but its success lies in the fact that it has literally something for everyone to like. Located in Ferndale, a quaint northern suburb of Detroit, the town is populated with attractive street shops, art galleries and people with a wide variety of interests.
For some, Rosie O’Grady’s is a sports bar—a really great sports bar, with 100 large TV screens throughout the restaurant.
So is it a sports bar? Not really. Owner Brian Kramer’s philosophy for achieving success in the current economy has been to keep trying different things—lots of them.
As Brian told us, ‘It’s hard to do just one thing anymore and make it. At this new location, we put in oversized outside seating and an attractive patio with heaters and fire pits. We turn it into a nightclub around 9 PM to attract a late-night crowd with a DJ and dancing, and occasionally we host live music. At different times of the day we try to hit different clientele . . . family, professionals, happy hour fans, plus the late-night crowd.”
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Judging from our lunchtime interview, Rosie O’Grady’s also is popular with the older crowd. We saw several tables of seniors out to celebrate somebody’s birthday.
The concept is multidimensional—but it’s all centered on great food.
Rosie O’Grady’s is proud of everything it serves, and it shows. Its menu covers the best in traditional sandwich, burger, appetizer, pizza and bar food with a special emphasis on fresh.
‘We may be a fun place but we are serious about food. Everything is fresh. We cut our French fries, grind our hamburger meat and prepare everything fresh. In our Prime Vendor partnership with U.S. Foodservice®, they help us find anything we need,’ explains Beth Hussey, Director of Operations.
Terrific food makes for a successful takeout business using Monogram Sustainâ„¢.
Rosie’s O’Grady’s restaurant does a good 15% of their business in take-out with loyal customers calling in and then picking up from the convenient takeout window. When customers pay over the phone, the crew watches for the car to pull up. When they see it, a runner takes the order to car. It’s the ultimate store-to-car customer service and a great way to grow repeat business.
‘During the time when we were thinking about expanding our takeout business, we saw the Monogram Sustain product at a food show. We decided to transition out of traditional foam clamshells and move to more sustainable products, with linen-like dinner paper napkins, cups and the pressed sustainable clamshells. It was important to use a more environmentally-friendly product as we upgraded our entire restaurant operation. It was the right thing to do.’
A nationwide search for the best pizza culminated in U.S. Foodservice delivering anthracite coal from Pennsylvania and recycled pizza boxes.
To give Rosie O’Grady’s a real competitive advantage, Executive Chef Brian Hussey decided to search all over America for the best way to make and serve pizza. What they discovered was a unique coal burning pizza oven. Besides being a hotter oven and delivering a great bread-like flavor in either a thick or thin crust, the anthracite coal provides the cleanest burn of any alternative biofuel.
‘Our new pizza program is driving our takeout growth. We’re offering a great product from a clean cooking oven and have printed custom pizza boxes on recycled paper. Both the coal from Pennsylvania and the printed boxes are brought in by U.S. Foodservice.’ Brian Hussy, Executive Chef.
Executive Chef Brian Hussey
Hospitality and charm include environmentally-friendly packaging.
One of the most impressive things about Rosie O’Grady’s is the way you get treated. The service is warm, upbeat, always with a smile, and a real commitment to the environment.
‘Our customers see the whole place as environmentally friendly. We aren’t going out of our way to promote it, but when customers spot the Monogram Sustain logo and biodegradable message, they take notice and often mention how much they appreciate the effort.’ Cheryl Hunnicut, Manager
Hunnicut explains that even though green packaging items costs a little more, it makes the customers happy and that makes it worthwhile.
Rosie O’Grady’s is a wonderful example of how change can make for success.
The willingness to shift their concept to fit specific audiences during different dayparts has made Rosie O’Grady’s a popular draw for a diverse crowd. They work at making sure they have something for everyone—and they know their neighborhood. Based on great food, friendly service, and by keeping up with environmental concerns, they are growing a good eat-in and takeout business during tough times. U.S. Foodservice is proud to be a part of their success.
