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When Ciera McDonald, owner and manager of the Shallowford DosBros, stepped into business ownership, she seized the opportunity to take the popular brand and make it more her own—more southern hospitality, more personalized service and more tasty specials.
“I started out in 2015 as a general manager with DosBros in Cleveland,” she recalls. “Two years later, I decided to open another location at Hamilton Place Mall.”
A string of successful openings led McDonald to a district manager position with the company, where she continued to open new locations. By then she had a good history with DosBros and she was hungry for new challenges. The DosBros team knew she had something special, too.
“I was at a crossroads, deciding whether to move or stay,” McDonald recalls. “One of the owners of the brand said, ‘You know this inside and out. You need to become an owner. This is something you and your family deserve’.”
The rest, as they say, is history. McDonald exemplifies the family spirit of DosBros, which started with two brothers committed to putting home-cooked food rapidly in front of customers by means of quick-service restaurants. All the food is made from scratch—every day customers will taste fresh onions, tomatos and cilantro in their fare, with each burrito, taco, or order of nachos or quesadilla made to their specifications.
McDonald adds her own nuance to her store in the Shallowford Road area—she notices her customers and makes conversation, helping everyone feel right at home. While some franchises have absentee owners, as manager and owner McDonald keeps a close eye on her business, working six to seven days each week.
She also gives back to the community, offering Spirit Night with a share of proceeds going to feed the homeless at Christmas, and more recently partnering with Ronald McDonald House for on online Spirit Night.
One challenge she faces is staffing. DosBros is a great place to work, she reports, but the pandemic has challenged her employee roster. From students to seniors, DosBros will train employees from the start. McDonald will work with the schedules of homemakers, high school athletes and college students, ensuring everyone has a chance. She’s happy to hire elders or family caregivers who have been out of the workforce for a while, and she’s also looking for team members with food service experience.
DosBros keeps its food tasty, simple and affordable with its streamlined hot bar style service. Every customer can choose from a bowl, burrito, tacos, nachos, taco salad or quesadilla, complete with vegan and vegetarian options. The protein determines the price, and then customers can select toppings such as cooked onions and peppers or fresh salsa.
The Shallowford Road DosBros has something special most don’t—every entrée comes with a free bag of chips and salsa. McDonald also runs a $2 Tuesday. From 11 a.m.–8 p.m. on Tuesdays, customers can get two chicken or tofu tacos with a choice of five toppings for $4 before tax.
Find DosBros on Shallowford Road at 2396 Lifestyle Way, right behind Embassy Suites, or by visiting DosBros.com and searching “Shallowford.”
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