Let me just recap where we left off last week … 
The restaurant was opened in 1991 but not without some unpredictable challenges. My dad went to a local bank for a loan for all of this remodeling, plus all of the equipment he would need to buy for a new restaurant. The bank agreed to pay off the bills as they came in and at the end of the project, McKinney and Doyle would pay the total. Contractors, plumbers, electricians and the like were about halfway done with the job when the bank receded its offer. The only option was to stop construction right?
Wrong. ALL of the people who had begun working on the new location offered to finish the job. My dad and Brian could pay them back over time after the restaurant opened up for business. It was that generosity and that faith that made my dad realize that Pawling was the place to be and that he would never ever consider leaving.
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. Most of you have tried our Jerry Aron’s Favorite soup. The cream based soup with shrimp, scallops, and leeks? 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 this soup. 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 and such 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 (not so new anymore) bar in McKinney and Doyle. The complex cocktails are not only delicious, but they’re beautiful and made with high end spirits, homemade mixers and purees, fresh herbs and hand crafted infusions. 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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