I got some really amazing feedback on our M&D history lesson post a few weeks back so I wanted to pick up where we left off. The last thing I mentioned was that my father and Brian 
Doyle had endless amounts of respect for all of those who helped make the restaurant possible and an undying love for the town of Pawling. Now, take yourself back to early 1992, when the new McKinney and Doyle officially opened for business.
Shortly after opening, McKinney and Doyle was reviewed by the New York Times, specifically M.H. Reed. Then the (what seemed) impossible happened. She rated M&D as Excellent, something pretty much unheard of for a small town café. I mean, some restaurant owners dream of that their entire lives! (Can you tell I’m proud?) Anyway, that review was a big boost for all involved and for a long time after, customers came in clutching that review to see if the food, service, and atmosphere was all that M.H. Reed said it would be.
A flood of new and returning customers is how some of the signature dishes we still serve today came to be. Many of your customers out there have tried our Jerry Aron’s Favorite soup. For those of you who haven’t, it’s a cream based soup with shrimp, scallops, and leeks and it is amazing. Anyway, Jerry Aaron was a customer from Manhattan since the opening of the original bakery. This is one of the soups that my dad and Brian started offering on East Main Street. Jerry Aaron used to send a limo up from the city to pick up a couple of quarts of it so it was only fitting that when it was placed on the menu in the new restaurant, it be named after him.
The restaurant started with just a simple beer and wine license but over time, customers began requesting cocktails with their meals and a bar for relaxing while waiting for a table. That’s when the decision was made to put a bar in McKinney and Doyle. Space was already limited so there wasn’t really anywhere to put one … except in the bakery.
A mahogany bar was designed, built, and placed in the bakery section of McKinney and Doyle. It doubled as an espresso bar for the bakery during the day and a service bar for cocktails and the like at night. It worked well but it still didn’t address the issue of having a place for customers to wait for their tables because it was so small. Plus, a large portion of it was occupied by the espresso machine. It was also odd for customers to come into a bakery and see shelves upon shelves of liquor. Scotch with your muffin anybody?
For many years, my dad wanted to expand into the pharmacy space next door. Jumping to today, we know that his dream of expanding came true.
Since the idea had been around for several years, my dad had a general idea of what he wanted. With Andrew’s help, the design was finalized.
Everything for the new space was completed by local contractors including the hand-crafted bar with the rain forest marble top. Stunning. The next step was to have a practice run in the form of a soft opening.
The new space opened in early April of 2011 for all of the contractors, staff members, and their families for a night of celebration, thanks, and working out the kinks of the new computer system. We also wanted to test new seating procedures and bar routine. I’ll never forget the look on my father’s face when I surprised him by showing up.
I had just driven back up to Delaware from Georgia with my roommates, so the last thing my dad expected was to see me at the new entrance before the dinner service. But there was just no way I was willing to miss that night. I drove three hours to Pawling and knocked on the locked, paper covered door. My dad opened the door with the intention of saying “I’m so sorry but we are not officially open yet,” but instead his jaw dropped. He wasn’t happy that I had to drive back down to school after dinner was over, but it was so worth the trip. What an incredible night. The space looked flawless and everybody was beyond excited. It looked like everything was going to run just perfectly. For the next couple of weeks before I made my first trip home to work, I called my parents and/or Andrew every single day after every single shift. I wanted the details on how things were going.
I had expected to hear that we were busy, but “busy” doesn’t even come close to the explanation. McKinney and Doyle was completely slammed for several weeks after opening. The new space was literally standing room only and shifts that used to be a bit slow were breaking records. The kitchen staff was moving quicker than they ever had before and we had to nearly double the staff those first few weeks until everybody got used to the new pace. It was an amazing success.
The response continues to be great. There is something special about the bar in McKinney and Doyle. The complex cocktails are not only delicious, but they’re beautifully made with high-end spirits, homemade mixers and purees, fresh herbs and hand crafted infusions (and they change with the seasons). The atmosphere is warm and inviting and chances are the bartenders will learn not only your name, but your favorite drink, meal, and dessert.
Rebecca McKinney
I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.
So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!
Eat well & travel often,
Becky McKinney
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