NILES — Dougan’s 2 Broke Eggs-N-Griddle is a story of friendship and family, the moment two friends decided to take a risk and continue what used to be a family business.
Ann Hampton and Tanya Dougan-Kener have been friends for over 20 years, and now they’ve added business partners to their list of nicknames for each other.
On April 28, Hampton and Dougan-Kener’s friends, family and business partners gathered outside the breakfast spot at 10 a.m. to commemorate its opening with a ribbon cutting, despite being open since November.
Located on Wayne Street, Dougan’s 2 Broke Eggs is a breakfast and brunch spot serving up classic American comfort food with heavy portions, fresh-cracked eggs, golden pancakes off the griddle and coffee that’s always hot, according to its website.
The restaurant can be identified by big doodles of two broken eggs painted on its windows, which, Hampton said, serves as a representation of Dougan-Kener and herself when they decided to open the breakfast spot.
“We’re the two broken eggs, because she [Dougan-Kener] wasn’t working because she got laid off by another place,” Hampton said. After eight years of retirement, jumping into being a business owner left Hampton’s kids asking her, “What are you doing, mom?”
No one seemed to understand what they were doing but them, seeming a little broken to everyone around them, Hampton said. Until they found a community partner and another small local business owner who saw their vision.
Capital and communal support
Executive Director of CDFI Friendly South Bend Sam Cantellas said the nonprofit is supporting the business during its growth through technical assistance and referrals to make the dream a reality.
“We’re a capital access organization, and we help small businesses access capital when they need it to start or grow,” Centellas said. “In this scenario, we were kind of involved in helping to get things going, and we’re super exited about that.”
As far as securing the building they’re in now, that’s where Jim’s Smokin’ Café owner Jim Morris comes in. The building was previously vacant when Morris purchased it in hopes of helping expand downtown Niles businesses.
The building just so happened to be the same location where Dougan-Kener’s mom ran a restaurant named Dougan’s Pitstop, the same restaurant that Hampton and her husband, Gary, became regulars at 25 years ago, around the same time they met Dougan-Kener. It seemed almost too good to be true.
After looking at the building and filling out necessary paperwork, the rest was all up to them, Hampton said. The friends worked together to paint the inside walls, hang up decorations and put in new flooring in hopes of transforming the building.
“A lot of tender loving care went into what’s going on in the inside,” Hampton said. “I took things from my house and brought them down here to decorate the walls. Now my house is empty because I brought all my horsey stuff down here.”
All hands on deck
Niles Mayor Nick Shelton said he loves nothing more than standing in front of a new business because he knows they’re not easy to start and that they don’t start without the right people in the right corners.
“It takes money you’re not sure you’re going to get back, [and] hours you can’t account for,” Shelton said. “To Ann, Tanya and Jim [Morris], thank you for being a little reckless. It makes Niles better.”
Since Dougan’s 2 Broke Eggs-N-Griddle opened, Hampton has handled all the financial side and Dougan-Kener has run the wait staff. Gary, Hampton’s husband, has taken on the title of baker as he creates pies and pastries for the restaurant.
However, originally Gary didn’t want anything to do with Dougan’s, Hampton said.
“I said to him, ‘I think we can do this, but I can’t do this without you,’” Hampton said. “… It’s a team effort between me, him and Tanya to keep this place open and running smoothly.”
It’s been a dream of Hampton’s to own a business at some point in her life, and seeing her community rally behind a restaurant she put together with her friend and husband is something she’s taken pride in.
It’s even brought unexpected visitors that Hampton isn’t sure she’d ever met until she became the co-owner of a restaurant.
“We’ve been blessed with so many people coming in,” Hampton said. “They’re coming from all over. It’s South Bend, Dowagiac and Buchanan. Gary said last week or the weekend before, there was somebody from Italy passing through, and they saw us on Google.”
People looking for fast food should go down the road, Gary said, but if someone’s looking for a warm, home-cooked meal, they can stop into Dougan’s, where the portions are big and the smiles are warm.
Dougan’s 2 Broke Eggs-N-Griddle
● What: Breakfast and lunch spot
● Where: 402 Wayne St., Niles
● Hours: 6 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Mondays through Sundays
● Price: $3-$16
● For more information: Call 269-252-1605 or visit dougans2brokeeggs.com.
If you know of a business that should be featured in an upcoming Market Basket column, email Tribune staff writer for Market Basket Jessica Velez at jvelez@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Dougan’s 2 Broke Eggs-N-Griddle revives old family business
Reporting by Jessica Velez, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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