Kathrine Alderman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Scott Mann has always been in and around the food industry. When he was a young boy in Michigan, his grandfather owned a dairy farm and sold dairy products at his dairy market, such as milk and ice cream, as well as coney dogs with his own special sauce recipe. Even when Mann moved to Central Florida at the age of three, his father owned restaurants, so his experience never dwindled. When Mann moved to Tallahassee when he turned 18, he continued to work in food service for restaurants. "I was always the go-to person," Mann said. "Just because of my work ethic and my knowledge."
However, he was pulled away from food in around 2005 and started working a state job. "I hated the business," Mann said. "I hated the work hours and the stress. I hated the operational side, but I loved the creativity of the cooking aspect of it." He worked with the state for years, but eventually, around 2014, he decided he wanted to do something for himself. So, without quitting his job, he pulled $800 off a credit card and bought himself a hotdog cart and the tools to start his business. His wife said she'd give him one year to assess the business and see if it would work or not. Thankfully, it did.
Going back to his roots, Mann started by selling the traditional Michigan coney dogs with his grandfather's special sauce. On Friday's he would set the hotdog cart up outside the state offices where he worked the rest of the week and sell to the people there.
Mann quickly realized that he needed to diversify his menu, but to do that, he would have to upgrade his cart to something a bit bigger. So, Mann opened up his first food truck only about six months after first opening his hotdog stand.
The rapid growth isn't to say he didn't struggle. Mann mentions that it was very hard at first, and there were a lot of growing aches and pains as he got his business off the ground. "No matter who you are or what your experiences are, you have to build a reputation and a brand for yourself," Mann explained. "It takes time to do that, no matter what."
With the new space and capabilities of the food truck, Mann added his gourmet burgers and fries to the menu. The burgers and fries almost took over the business, becoming his biggest seller.
After that, they quickly, again, outgrew their first small food truck and had to upgrade once more to an even larger food truck. Eventually, Mann opened his first brick and mortar location on Tennessee Street in Tallahassee in 2018, right across from the FSU campus.
Business was booming for Mann. He had the brick and mortar location, the food truck and even did a lot of business in catering.
Sadly, almost exactly two years after they first opened their brick and mortar location, the pandemic hit, and Mann had to close his business in Tallahassee. "Literally within weeks, we were forced out of the restaurant location," Mann said. "When they suspended all classes on campus it killed the business. Pretty much destroyed everything in less than a two week period of time."
However, when one door closes, another opens. Mann had considered opening a location in Monticello for a while, as he lives here and has for the past five years.
He had known that the spot he's in now might be coming available. So, when it became available in early July, he grabbed the space and renovated it to make The Mann's Doghouse here in Monticello, opening up the first week of August.
"I felt there was a missing market here," Mann explained, "or a void, I guess you could say, for what I do." There may be places you can get a fast burger, like McDonald's or Burger King, but burgers and dogs are Mann's specialty, and he strives to provide a high-quality product. He gets all his meat from a small ranch out of Kansas, his buns from a high-quality bakery in Central Florida, his cheese from Boar's Head and all his fresh produce he gets right here in Monticello at the local market. Not only do they have quality ingredients, but they also handle them with care. They hand slice all their toppings and hand cut their fries. Their fries, especially, go through a long, three to four step process that Mann has perfected to bring out the best flavor in them.
Even though Mann was able to reopen his store and keep his business alive by moving here to Monticello, he has had to pare down his menu, as he isn't able to keep a large staff right now due to the economy. They have been able to add some things recently, though, as they just added wings! As with their other products, they strive to provide high-quality wings and make most of their wing sauces in house.
"We try to keep that business-standard," Mann said. "I don't want to be like everyone else. My goal is not to throw a burger out in five minutes or less." Mann's goal is to provide a quality product that people will keep coming back for more. "We're truly a cook to order restaurant. That product doesn't go on the grill untill you order it."
Mann is what you'd call an owner/operator and is very involved in his store. When you go in, you're often likely to see him in the back with the rest of his staff flipping burgers or cutting fries. This dedication to his product has really paid off, as his business spread mostly through word of mouth, and he still has loyal customers who will travel here from Tallahassee just to eat at his restaurant.
If you'd like to visit The Mann's Doghouse, they're located in Monticello at 850 N. Jefferson St. Their hours are currently Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The menu currently consists of burgers, hotdogs, wings and sausages. If you'd like to contact them, their business number is (850) 342-1196.
Just remember, if you're ever in the mood for high-quality burgers, hotdogs, sausages or wings, you don't have to look any farther than right here in Monticello. The Mann's Doghouse is ready to serve.
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