Inspiring Conversations with Calye DiBella of DiBella’s Brunch N’ Booze

Today we’d like to introduce you to Calye DiBella.

Hi Calye, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
💫 ABOUT US 💫
When we say we’re family owned – we mean it! 🥰
My name is Calye and my husband is Randy, we’ve been together since 2016, and we have 5 wonderful kiddos!
(Yeah…. We’re a big group 😂🩷)

I’ve been in the service industry since I was 15, starting as a dishwasher and then learned many roles as I cooked, prepped, served, bartended, catered and managed at many restaurants here in Tucson, often multiple restaurants at once. I have worked at this specific store since 2019, when I started at Growler USA Microbrew Pub as Assistant General Manager then advanced to General Manager. In 2020 Firetruck Brewing Company took over the store, where I stayed and ended up managing multipule of their locations at once as District Manager. I absolutely love this store, the people who come to it, the memories it has, and the area we are in. It’s like my home away from home – my kids have all literally slept in the office at one time or another, I remember all the regulars and all the snow birds every year, and they remember me – and I had staff that was with me for YEARS. So when the opportunity arose to take it over, OFCOURSE we did everything we could to make it happen!

My husband I spent a good while looking into ways to make it happen, and boy it was not easy, and still isn’t. But we finally got the keys September 2024 with the help and support of several family members and friends! My husband Randy’s background is repair/remodel and new home builds – so he’s been working every day to make this dream of mine come true. From flooring to paint, to remodeling the bar, he hasn’t complained once 🩷

Our children have been huge supporters and helpers, especially since now they know it’ll be theirs one day😉 You should hear the creative ideas they have and see all the artwork they’ve drawn on the patio while we remodel on the weekends. They tell everyone walking by “My mom and dad are opening up a restaurant, follow us on Facebook!” 😂 Tell me that isn’t the sweetest?!

Our goal is to ensure our guests keep coming back, and that they are so comfortable with us that they speak up every time they are in. Didnt like their salad this time? They can tell us! Everything was wonderful? They can tell us! Feeling down that day and need us to make suggestions and choices for them? They can tell us! We want to help and grow in any way we can to ensure everyone has an incredible experience.

We want to be a venue for all! Just because “booze” is in the name, doesn’t mean you must partake. Just like “Applebee’s Bar and Grill”, we have kids menus and coloring pages. We invite families and PTO clubs, everyone on their lunch break, and whoever just wants to enjoy a nice breakfast/brunch!

While we care very much about the business aspect, we also care about teaching our children along the way. Teaching them how to treat people, how to cook, how to manage high stress situations, how to manage numbers, how to manage time. While these are things people “learn every day”, the hospitality industry really teaches you on another level – and being owners is a whole other level.

It’s true when they say that when you support local, you’re helping pay for dance classes, football camp, and STEM classes. It’s true that the little guys care more- about their employees, their customers, and their business choices. We hope to bring an impact, and we hope to leave our footprints on this world.

And along the way, we would appreciate having every one of our supporters in our corner. Because when they say it takes a village, they really mean it. 🙏

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Learning taxes, rising food costs, otherwise fairly smooth!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a breakfast and brunch establishment offering scratch food and friendly service. We are family owned and ran. We serve craft beer, cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, breakfast, brunch & lunch. We specialize in our twist of a monte cristo, where instead of deep frying the sandwich, you griddle it. We also specialize in our family’s secret green chile pulled pork recipe. We offer daily specials, as well as early bird and veteran/senior specials.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
While I was doing well in life prior to the other business closing, I did not have a ton of money in the bank to take this opportunity. I had no job, no incoming income and a quick turn around with my fingers crossed it would turn out. My thought was, whats the worst that could happen? I fail? That’s something that doesn’t scare me easily, as I have rose from a consistently failed lifestyle. But I always pull back up. My husband is my biggest supporter, knowing what I have come from and helping me build what I have dreamed of, taking the risk right beside me.

Contact Info:

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