New Year's Eve, 2003, and Philadelphia-area restaurateur Dave Magrogan was visiting the Morrison Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.
He struck up a conversation with concierge/manager Dane Gray. "He joked to my friends that he would want me to work for him if I would move the U.S.," Gray said, not taking him too seriously. Gray told Magrogan to call him in a few weeks.
Next thing Gray knew, he was on the plane to the United States.
For 11 years, he worked for Magrogan, first opening the Manayunk location of Kildare's Irish pub and then running the flagship in West Chester. Over the last four years, Gray has been director of operations for all the Kildare's locations.
Just the other day, Gray bought the West Chester location, with a partner, businessman Tom Farnesi.
The transition was smooth: a celebratory drink Sunday night, followed by settlement the next day. Magrogan still owns the three other Kildare's locations.
The upshot is that Stephanie Gray - Dane's wife, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef who worked for Magrogan for 12 years - will return to the kitchen to ramp the food. From a managerial standpoint, Dane Gray will focus on the one location.
On Thursday, July 30 from 5 to 7 p.m., Gray and Farnesi will host an opening party with comp appetizers and a craft beer created by Gray, while supplies last.