O'Doherty's Irish Grille has occupied a prime spot in downtown Spokane across from Riverfront Park for over three decades. Owner Tim O'Doherty was given a firm push to open his Irish pub when his former boss Jerry Young fired him from the now-closed Milford's Fish House on North Monroe. Though it was a harsh move at the time, Young set O'Doherty on a path to his own success. The restaurant he owns and operates with his wife Sam is now a staple for those looking for a pint and some Irish classics like fish and chips, pasties and stew.
RESTAURANT WEEK: What led you to open an Irish pub-style restaurant?
O'DOHERTY: I think the Irish pub format really suits my personality and my heritage. We took a road trip to Butte, Montana, to learn from some of the classy Irish pubs that are in Butte. Then just probably started off like a lot of people, underfinanced with not a chance in the world.
What kinds of places do you look for when you dine out; in other words, what excites you?
I'm part of a couple, so a lot of the time that choice is not mine but my wife's because other than peas and beets there's nothing in the world I don't enjoy. If you want to go Thai food, I love Thai food. Italian, Mexican, pizza, American — I really love it all. So what we try to do is, actually — I have a friend named Sally Akiyama, [and] Sally always knows the new place in town — so a lot of times we'll go try new restaurants.
What is special or unique about the region's culinary scene right now?
The Pacific Northwest is, obviously, very tied to the great fish, salmon. I think that when people come here they're always like, "Do you have salmon?" So I think our reputation — even though we are a long way from the coast; we're almost to Montana — people come here, and they think they are going to get salmon and maybe crab, all those seafood items. So I think that's what our region is known for, which does a disservice to the Inland Northwest where we live, because some of the best barbecue in the world is here, but we are not known for barbecue.
What are some of the biggest challenges the industry is currently facing?
It's kind of a labor heavy industry, so it's difficult in that way to try to hire, train and retain really good people. That's probably the most difficult thing that we have.
Who are some of your culinary heroes or biggest influences, and why?
I think probably, honestly, the biggest influence in O'Doherty's here — and this sounds corny and stuff — but it's my wife. For 33 years, she's been my partner. She handles the payroll, she does the payables, she's my echoing board in terms of the menu. We argue about prices, we argue about products, we discuss employees both good and bad. The business is the topic of discussion, and we are lucky that we can have that discussion without getting upset. I just have a ton of respect for her.
What are some of the rewarding and challenging aspects of running and owning a family business?
The great thing about owning a family business is that, if you have a big family like me, you have a lot of possible coworkers to pick from. The bad thing about having a business like this is that you have all these relatives that you can pick from. You know, it's harder to fire your brother than it is to fire somebody that you just met off the street. So that can be challenging.
What are you most looking forward to during this year's Inlander Restaurant Week?
What I like about Restaurant Week is that the people at Inlander were smart enough to stage it at a time when business is slow throughout the city and it's cold. People aren't really going out. So this is a motivation to, "Hey, I know it's snowing, I know it's cold, I know you don't have any money left from Christmas, but hey you might just want to check this out."
What's something that diners can look forward to on your menu?
The Hooligan and Hannigan corned beef sandwich and shepherd's pie, it's really good, and the fish and chips. But sometimes we have some new items, so my chef had meatloaf at Jack & Dan's and he goes, "We should do meatloaf." I said, "Nobody's gonna do meatloaf." But I let him do it as a special because we have a special sheet. Now we sell like four entire meatloaves twice a week. People take it home I guess because it travels well. We have meatloaf sandwiches. So I was entirely wrong about that.
What advice would you give to diners going out during Restaurant Week?
Well, first of all, I'd like to thank them, honestly, because it's winter and it's cold. We appreciate them coming out because that support is vital for small restaurant, so I would really encourage them to go to any new places and help them out. But the best advice I give to people all the time on Restaurant Week is share plates.
