Doozie’s Place serves up mini pancakes and good vibes
ONE of the rites of passage for most every child is playing pretend in a kitchen and cooking up imaginary cuisine for your loved ones. Whether it’s serving Play-Doh spaghetti or pretending to fry eggs, portraying a tiny chef is a memory that stands the test of time.
But just because you had fun playing a chef in preschool doesn’t mean you should open your own restaurant – unless your name is Devon “Doozie” Raab, that is.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I used to play restaurant with my mom and I’ve always known I wanted to open my own restaurant,” the Ocean City High School graduate said. “It’s been a dream my entire life.”
Doozie’s Place specializes in breakfast and lunch and sits on the north side of the island at 100 Asbury Avenue. They opened over Father’s Day weekend and have been booked up ever since.
Community Support
“The community has supported me an insane amount. We have a 45-minute wait every day, it’s always booming,” Doozie explained. “It’s the best feeling in the world. There are nothing but smiles leaving through that door. I’m so, so thankful,”
Doozie’s Place opens up at 7am and stays open until 2pm, offering a wide variety of breakfast and lunch options. There are your “standard” choices such as omelets, chipped beef, pancakes and waffles. Some items, however, come with a twist, including the Pina Colada French Toast, which is served with fresh pineapple, cheesecake filling, coconut flakes and whipped cream.
“I was trying to think outside the box,” Doozie said.
Outside the box, indeed. She also serves up a Hawaiian Omelet, which comes with ham, pineapple and cheddar cheese. There’s also The Happy Seed, which is avocado toast with hickory smoked feta cheese and a hot honey drizzle.
On Trend
A popular piece of brunch etiquette nowadays is to order pancakes for the table to share. At Doozie’s Place you can do so with a pancake flight, which is three short stacks of Doozie’s Dollar Pancakes. You can get classic buttermilk topped with blueberries, strawberries or bananas; Standard chocolate chip pancakes; and Campfire Cakes which have chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs and marshmallow drizzle. There’s Sweet Tooth Pancakes which come with Fruity Pebbles, strawberries and marshmallow drizzle. Finally there’s “The Cool C,” which is chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes with sliced bananas and a creamy peanut butter drizzle.
Speaking of a breakfast appetizer you can share with the table, Doozie makes her own homemade strawberry pop tarts. It’s a flaky pastry with a fresh strawberry jam on the inside and strawberry icing and dried strawberry bits on top.
“It’s heaven in your mouth,” she said.
Not a breakfast person? Not a problem. Doozie’s Place also has a wide variety of lunch options, highlighted by the Pesto Chicken Sandwich, which Doozie believes is the best item on the menu, period.
“It’s amazing,” she said.
It’s crispy chicken topped with roasted red peppers, sauteed spinach, mozzarella cheese, pesto and a drizzle of hot honey. It is served with French fries or sweet potato fries.
“Our sweet potato fries are bangin’,” Doozie added.
Doozie’s Menu
There’s a Smash Burger, a Buffalo Chicken Wrap and Tacos Three Ways (shrimp, barbecue chicken, and veggie). There are salads, both lettuce-based like a garden salad or of the egg or chicken variety served on your choice of bread.
Simply put, there’s something for everybody at Doozie’s Place. They treat each customer like a member of their own family which is fitting considering the M.O. for the restaurant is to “Come for breakfast, leave as a family.”
“We’re passionate about that,” Doozie said. “My staff embodies that. Everyone is personable and cares about the customers. I’m very thankful.”
Inside, the vibe is very much that of a shore town – there are surfboards hanging from the ceiling. The speakers play Jack Johnson and Jimmy Buffett with a mural from local shop, Peace of Wood sits on the wall. Everyone’s caffeinated, happy and ready for the busy day.
“There are smiles thrown all across the room,” Doozie described. “We truly are a family at Doozie’s Place and (I hope) our customers can see that.”
Dream Chasing
Chasing a dream requires a little help from others. In Doozie’s case it comes by way of her family. Her parents, Patty and Scott, as well as her brother and sister-in-law, Cory and Amanda, have been there at every turn. Whether it is Patty helping out with interior design choices or Scott’s constant helping hand, Doozie acknowledges that she could have never done it alone.
“They’ve been amazing,” she added.
It’s easy to see the passion and love inside the four walls at Doozie’s Place. Then again, Doozie has been practicing at this since she was a toddler, cooking up breakfast items for anyone and everyone. Now, she’s just upgraded from Play-Doh.
Doozie’s Place is located at 1st Street and Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, and can be reached by calling (609) 938-1126. Learn more online at dooziesplace.com and find Doozie’s on Instagram @DooziesPlace and on Facebook by searching “Doozie’s Place.”
Text by Anthony J. Mazziotti III
Photos by @mattdeatz and @natg_photos