In 2023, Jen and Dennis Erdly opened Devour, a restaurant offering breakfast, lunch and a one-of-a-kind dining experience, in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Dennis has a rich history of kitchen experience, even cooking for presidents and celebrities.
Their unique restaurant menu features items such as mason jar salads, soups made from scratch daily, fresh baked goods and barbecued pulled pork sandwiches. They pride themselves on including different textures and flavors and quality ingredients.
A FAMILY BUSINESS
Devour is truly a family business. All four of their children work at the restaurant. They do everything from washing dishes and running food to cooking and creating new coffee drink recipes. They love coming up with clever names for their coffee drinks. “There are valuable insights gained from seeing your parents build a business from the ground up. Our oldest daughter even intends to pursue an international business degree in college,” Jen said.
Jen’s parents are involved in the family business as well. Her father completed lots of the remodeling and construction projects for the building. Since the physical space was formerly a gas station, they have preserved the “gas station” theme with various items decorating the space. Her mother, with years of career experience in design work, helped to create the casual, comfortable design of the space. The inclusion of wood and tile materials helps establish the restaurant’s clean, modern look.
Accomplishments with UW-Green Bay SBDC
- Calculating costs
- Business plan
- Restaurant strategy
A HELPING HAND
Other assistance in starting the business came from the UW-Green Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and consultant Ray York. Jen said, “Ray was great and truly knowledgeable, specifically in helping us determine our costs for areas like employees and inventory. I had lots of questions about writing a business plan and Ray was quick to respond as well as very encouraging. Ray owns a restaurant himself, so his experience in the industry was valuable to us. I would recommend Ray to anyone seeking help with starting a small business.”
A COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Jen, also a teacher in the Plymouth School District, partnered with the school district to create a wonderful employee program. Juniors and seniors in high school can earn both money and high school credit for employability skills by working in the restaurant. She said, “We are located right across the street from the high school, so it is convenient for the students. They have become great employees, as well as great friends.”
In addition to the Plymouth School District, the owners have established some other meaningful connections in the community. Jen and Dennis are members of both the Elk Heart Lake and Plymouth Chambers of Commerce. They make donations to the Plymouth Education Foundation and host fundraisers for the school band. They will hold a charity dinner in February to support the local soccer club.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
The team has already achieved some changes since they opened, and they have many ideas for the future of Devour. They have added quarts of soup to go that can be picked up hot and ready to eat, or cold to be heated and served later. Jen said, “We added a drive-through pick up option and we are discussing adding online ordering as well.” They hope to expand their catering services as well. “The catering we do at events like Road America, a motorsport racing venue in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, are so fun for us. We also cater weddings and that is so enjoyable we would love to expand our catering.”
There are so many things Jen enjoys about running the business. “We get to spend more time with our kids; one of our favorite things is making cookies together. I also love getting to know the regulars. Plymouth is a small town and it is nice to be able to say hello to people by name and recognize their usual orders.”
Since the last week of January will mark the one-year anniversary of the business, they are celebrating with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. The festivities will include live music, door prizes and of course delicious food – including a savory brisket.
Congratulations to the hardworking Erdly family!
Photo Credit: Humke Group