Doolittle’s in Anderson stays local and focuses on family
From the second John Doolittle set foot in the former Main Street Deli in Anderson, he knew it was where he wanted to open his first restaurant.
“I immediately realized this was the feel—the brick, the wood, the lighting,” Doolittle says. Many of those elements were original to the building at 112 North Main Street. He bought the building and opened Doolittle’s Restaurant 13 years ago.
“From the very beginning, there were me and two others downtown,” he says. “I realized early on it doesn’t matter where people go out to eat, it matters who they’re going out to eat with. Local is where it’s at. It’s where you’re feeding people’s families and not a big corporation. There’s a huge difference.”
A phrase from the Doolittle’s website delivers that message succinctly. “Break the chain,” it reads, and Doolittle explains what he means by that. “My competition isn’t the local guys, it’s more the chain restaurants,” he says.
From Domino’s to Doolittle’s
Doolittle’s previous experience within those larger corporations and chain restaurants allows him to speak on the subject with authority. Originally from Maryland, Doolittle moved to Clemson to open a Domino’s Pizza franchise in 2000. He expanded his franchisee footprint with four more stores in the Upstate until 2006 when he sold the franchise and left the quick- service business to learn about full-service operations.
At the time, his family was interested in moving to Florida, so they moved to Destin, where Doolittle returned to his teenage roots and started as a server at Mitchell’s Fish Market. He worked his way up and eventually moved to Cincinnati as an assistant manager, and then to Chicago as a general manager.
“Ever since college, I wanted to own my own business, and I did with Domino’s,” he says. “When I started working for different restaurants, I realized I wanted to own my own.”
At Doolittle’s, everything is made from scratch—sauces, dressings, hand-cut fries, crab cakes, soups, all of it. His grandmother’s meatloaf is on the menu and his other grandmother’s beef and noodle soup is the Wednesday soup of the day.
“I’m from Maryland, and crabs are huge in Maryland and have always been a love of mine,” Doolittle says. “The crab cakes are a recipe I’ve developed over many years.”
Whether it’s the Reuben sandwich, the cheesesteak, the classic Maryland cream of crab soup, or the layered pork and mac stack, everything on the menu is something Doolittle would want to order at a restaurant. The way his servers interact with guests is also how he would want to be cared for.
“It’s not about me. It’s about the people who are in there taking care of people every day,” Doolittle says. “My staff is just great. It makes my job really easy. My servers always want to do whatever it takes to make the guest happy.”
Anderson Restaurants
Downtown Anderson has had an infusion of new restaurants and small businesses over the last few years. Some others to check out include The Bradbury Bistro for New Orleans-inspired brunch; Finch & Fern for wine and small bites; Maki Sushi Bar & Bistro for what John Doolittle calls the best sushi around; Earle Street Kitchen and Bar for Sunday brunch; Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill for a white-tablecloth ambience; and pizza spots Electric City Pizza Company and SummaJoe’s.
112 N. Main St., Anderson, doolittlesrestaurant.com
