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Irish Guy Is Smiling
By A.J. Daulerio
And there’s more on the horizon. In addition to a Scranton Kildare’s, in October he’s opening a Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House in Manayunk, taking over the 8,000-square-foot Storehouse furniture-store space. Another Kildare’s is set to open off of 611 in Warrington; Magrogan claims it will be his last in the Philly area. From there, Kildare’s is looking at spots in Baltimore, D.C., Delaware, Florida, Las Vegas. Is this selling out? “Hey, there are over 1,800 Applebee’s. This is nothing,” he says.
But there’s more than just Kildare’s: Magrogan’s plans include more Doc Magrogan’s Oyster Houses; a chef-oriented organic food restaurant called Grady David’s; movie production (he’s already consulting and getting production credit on a Bam Margera movie project); more consulting projects; expanding the Two Men and a Truck moving company (which he part-owns); beginning more charity-based initiatives; and, of course, making motivational speech appearances.
WHAT'S MOST AMAZING about Dave Magrogan is that he’s not a roaring douchebag. Sure, he has the Hummer (which he claims he’ll get rid of once all of his Kildare’s go green by the end of the year) and the wealth and a house in Key West and another one down the Shore and the celebrity friends and, of course, the rhino philosophy he’s used to build what is, in essence, an Irish-fied chain pub, but he’s surprisingly humble. He radiates so much positive energy that it’s very easy to get knocked over by him.
Which is not to say he isn’t flawed. He went through a divorce early in his chiropracting days (though he and his ex-wife get along, and he dotes on his two daughters from that marriage). He also admits to living the life of a 30-year-old bar owner on a few occasions soon after his divorce. (Some of his management crew suggest that’s why they were so happy when Magrogan remarried — they no longer have to field phone calls from young, starry-eyed Dave Magrogan groupies.) Plus, his unflagging energy isn’t a plus to those in his small company who might want a life outside of the Dave Magrogan business. Magrogan cops to this as well: “Our company is not a good company for balance right now.”
Many people compare him to Pat Croce — he’s been dubbed “Pat Jr.” by some of his colleagues and confidants — and Croce can see the similarities. Magrogan has looked up to Croce since he heard Pat spout off the “Workout Tip of the Day” on ’MMR in the ’80s. One of their first meetings was at Croce’s Shore house in Ocean City; Croce said Dave could come down on the condition that they work out together the following morning. “I thought, how tough could this be? This guy’s, like, 50,” Magrogan says. But early into the workout, Magrogan keeled over: “He was standing over me — ‘Dave! Dave! Are you gonna puke? Are you gonna shit?’”
“All of it,” Magrogan said, and promptly did. As a gift, Magrogan got Croce a rock engraved “Don’t Throw Up Here!,” which now sits in Croce’s garden at the Shore.
“I love the way he attends to detail, his business acumen, his entrepreneurial spirit and how giving a person he is,” Croce says. “A visionary has to stay on mission — you either buy in or get the hell out. He’s making an impact on people who want that message.”
Magrogan met Croce through their mutual friend John DeBella, the broom-mustached WMGK DJ. Magrogan considers DeBella one of his best friends. DeBella feels the same. They met just three years ago, but instantly melded.
But there’s more than just Kildare’s: Magrogan’s plans include more Doc Magrogan’s Oyster Houses; a chef-oriented organic food restaurant called Grady David’s; movie production (he’s already consulting and getting production credit on a Bam Margera movie project); more consulting projects; expanding the Two Men and a Truck moving company (which he part-owns); beginning more charity-based initiatives; and, of course, making motivational speech appearances.
WHAT'S MOST AMAZING about Dave Magrogan is that he’s not a roaring douchebag. Sure, he has the Hummer (which he claims he’ll get rid of once all of his Kildare’s go green by the end of the year) and the wealth and a house in Key West and another one down the Shore and the celebrity friends and, of course, the rhino philosophy he’s used to build what is, in essence, an Irish-fied chain pub, but he’s surprisingly humble. He radiates so much positive energy that it’s very easy to get knocked over by him.
Which is not to say he isn’t flawed. He went through a divorce early in his chiropracting days (though he and his ex-wife get along, and he dotes on his two daughters from that marriage). He also admits to living the life of a 30-year-old bar owner on a few occasions soon after his divorce. (Some of his management crew suggest that’s why they were so happy when Magrogan remarried — they no longer have to field phone calls from young, starry-eyed Dave Magrogan groupies.) Plus, his unflagging energy isn’t a plus to those in his small company who might want a life outside of the Dave Magrogan business. Magrogan cops to this as well: “Our company is not a good company for balance right now.”
Many people compare him to Pat Croce — he’s been dubbed “Pat Jr.” by some of his colleagues and confidants — and Croce can see the similarities. Magrogan has looked up to Croce since he heard Pat spout off the “Workout Tip of the Day” on ’MMR in the ’80s. One of their first meetings was at Croce’s Shore house in Ocean City; Croce said Dave could come down on the condition that they work out together the following morning. “I thought, how tough could this be? This guy’s, like, 50,” Magrogan says. But early into the workout, Magrogan keeled over: “He was standing over me — ‘Dave! Dave! Are you gonna puke? Are you gonna shit?’”
“All of it,” Magrogan said, and promptly did. As a gift, Magrogan got Croce a rock engraved “Don’t Throw Up Here!,” which now sits in Croce’s garden at the Shore.
“I love the way he attends to detail, his business acumen, his entrepreneurial spirit and how giving a person he is,” Croce says. “A visionary has to stay on mission — you either buy in or get the hell out. He’s making an impact on people who want that message.”
Magrogan met Croce through their mutual friend John DeBella, the broom-mustached WMGK DJ. Magrogan considers DeBella one of his best friends. DeBella feels the same. They met just three years ago, but instantly melded.
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Posted by Jermaine | Oct. 12, 2007 at 1:10 PM