NewsDecember 19, 2018
Dogwood Social House: Patel's dynamic entertainment venue to open in January in Cape
Andy Patel � ambitious businessman and owner of the Cape Catfish baseball team � has transformed what former high schoolers may remember as where prom was held into a dynamic and flexible food and entertainment venue for all ages. It even includes three bowling lanes and a cigar room...
Andy Patel � ambitious businessman and owner of the Cape Catfish baseball team � has transformed what former high schoolers may remember as where prom was held into a dynamic and flexible food and entertainment venue for all ages.
It even includes three bowling lanes and a cigar room.
The future Dogwood Social House sits at 80 S. Plaza Way, with all 35,000 square feet completely remodeled and is unrecognizable from days gone by.
For the last six months, the spot has been the latest installment for Patel�s extensive list of business ventures.
Patel, who moved to Southeast Missouri five years ago, said Friday that Dogwood will accommodate nearly 500 patrons and is slated to open the first week of January.
�I live in Cape, and I wanted to design something the whole family can come to; not just the college kids,� said Patel, who has four children, two of whom are attending school here.
�My son goes to SEMO, my daughter goes to Eagle Ridge,� he said. �I lived in West Palm Beach for 28 years before I moved here. That�s where my business was.�
Patel grew up in India and worked in his first restaurant in 1986. He then met his wife � and co-worker � Anissa, and settled in America.
�My dad wanted me to come [to America]. Everybody dreams to come here,� Patel said. �This is the greatest country in the world.�
He started out as a cook, working for $3.25 an hour in 1986, he said. Some five years later, Patel became the owner of an IHOP franchise, his first restaurant.
Patel now owns several Applebee�s restaurants, from Cape Girardeau, �all the way through Memphis,� he said, as well as 20 in Virginia, eight in New Mexico � along with 46 more locations and additional IHOPs and hotels.
�I had 100 Burger Kings and I just sold them,� Patel said. �I wanted to live in Cape, so I sold all my BKs to start my own concept.�
He�s pouring much of his lifetime success into several investments. Dogwood promises to keep the city hopping.
�I owned Applebee�s for the last eight years, so I used to come to this town,� he said. �It�s a small town, but not small. It�s a great medical field and great for kids for school. And it�s centrally located. You have a university and nice hospitals. You have a little bit of everything to do in this town. And it�s not overpriced; Cape is not overpriced.�
With that mindset, Cape Girardeau has become Patel�s main focus since moving here. And he�s put a lot of thought into the new enterprise.
The first thing noticeable upon arrival to Dogwood Social House is a very prominent self-serve �beer wall,� sustained by a dedicated nitrogen and C02 cooling system with 36 taps.
Domestic and craft beer will be sold by the ounce within those walls, through the technology of a bracelet that tracks the pourer�s ounces.
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Four different wines, frozen margaritas and Jell-O shots also will be available at the bar.
In the indoor bar dining area, sports fans will discover a sensory overload, due to the enormous 440-square-feet wall of LED televisions. The area can accommodate more than 150 people, Patel said.
�It�s the largest LED screen in the State of Missouri [within a bar],� Patel said.
There also are eight screens at 128 inches each throughout the separate dining areas.
Guests will find pool, foosball, air hockey, shuffleboard, bowling, hatchet throwing and virtual gaming throughout.
The bright lights near the back of the facility will draw gaming fans. An arcade can be found near the back of the facility � just follow the bright lights. The game room is set up to appeal to adults and children, and includes a gift shop.
�We have different games for every age, pretty much,� Patel said, pointing out several of the 40 available games, including computer and classic arcade entertainment.
Eight seating areas span the location � several featuring oversized Connect Four, Jenga and casual seating.
Burgers, baby back ribs, 15 flavors of ice cream, jumbo chicken wings, tacos and nachos are among the cuisine choices, Patel said.
There is also a space outside dedicated for events when the weather warms.
�In summer, we will have live bands on the stage. It can fit about 140 people,� Patel said, describing the 5,000-square-feet area adjacent to the bar.
With a flip of a switch, one of the dining areas reveals a pulsating club ambiance, capable of a light show for techno dance parties.
�From 9 p.m., we turn into a nightclub two days a week,� Patel said. �Live music one day, then a DJ the other day.�
The joint also houses two private rooms for karaoke or parties, housing roughly 40 people, he said. And a nearby climate-controlled room dedicated to the storage of cigars also is available, connected to a well-ventilated smoking-only room, for cigar smoke only, Patel added.
Near the rear of the establishment is the kitchen, which will require 20 employees from his 80-member staff and will prepare a variety of smoked and flame-broiled foods.
Patel�s concept is �one in a million,� general manager Jeffery A. Young said.
�It�s beautiful,� he said. �If you can�t find something to do [here], oh, my goodness.�
All proceeds from the restaurant�s opening day will go toward a local organization yet to be decided, according to Patel.
jhartwig@semissourian.com
(573) 388-3632
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