Donerick’s Pub, a Dublin institution since 1995 that closed in November 2009, reopened in January under the new ownership of Dublin native and current resident Rich Spagna.

A graduate of The Ohio State University (he majored in journalism and communications), Spagna’s path to becoming the pub’s owner began when he was a high school student. He started out in the restaurant business at age 16, bussing tables at Max & Erma’s on Frantz Road. While learning the ins and outs of the restaurant business, he realized its potential.

“My income wasn’t fixed,” the 29 year-old says. “The harder I worked, the more money I made.”

At 18, he was old enough to work in the kitchen, moving to line cook. At 19 he became a server, and at 21 a bartender. The skills and knowledge he acquired in those positions ultimately helped him achieve a shift manager position, still at the same Max & Erma’s location.

In 2006, he became acquainted with the former owner of Donerick’s who, aware of Spagna’s organizational and management skills, asked him to come in and ultimately manage the establishment. In his two and a half years there, Spagna was most proud of taking the kitchen operation from a loss to profitability. His philosophy was to prepare fresh food instead of reheating frozen pre-cooked food, as many restaurants do today.

When Donerick’s closed in November, Spagna explored the possibility of buying the business. He says he knew the operation “inside and out” and thought it could be profitable, both because of its popularity in the 21-to-55 demographic and Dublin’s strong economy.

He credits the Stavroffs (Frank, Matt and Jeff, who own Dublin Village Center where Donerick’s is located), with making the deal possible. Spagna’s biggest challenge to date has been the February weather, and he is doing all he can to get the word out that Donerick’s is back. Thanks to his sisters, Kara and Ellen Spagna, the word about the pub’s reopening spread quickly on Facebook, and the opening night crowd almost doubled expectations. (On a lighter note, Spagna says some Dublin businesses hold after-hour meetings at Donerick’s, what they discreetly refer to as “Conference Room D.”)

There’s no mistaking Donerick’s for haute cuisine – it is, after all, a sports bar – but Spagna is proud of the quality of what he calls its “pub food.” He says he focuses on the quality of his three biggest sellers on the menu: pizza, wings and a tasty certified Angus burger.

Besides a complete renovation of the restrooms and adding a dozen new plasma TVs – Spagna is a sports buff and the ultimate Buckeye fan – the main change he has implemented is a strong customer service focus.

Spagna is working 70-hour weeks but maintains a grateful attitude through it all.

“Hey, I know what it’s like to clean gum off the bottom of the tables or floors,” he says of his years in the business. “I appreciate how vital every single aspect of this business is, especially the service.”

Donerick’s is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, 4 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. For more information, call 614-799-2661 or find Donerick’s on Facebook (search for “The Real Donerick’s Pub Dublin”).