Bartender Jackie Ramirez prepares and mixes drinks
for customers at Kocky’s
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian

How do owners set their restaurant apart from all the rest? A good first part to start would be the name. Two former Fresno State business graduates have decided that naming their restaurant Kocky’s Bar & Grill will do just the trick.

Kocky’s Bar & Grill, which opened in August, is one of the newest restaurants to open downtown.

At Kocky’s you can order meals from the burger-and-fry style menu, or try the hot wings seasoned with buffalo sauce made from the owners’ personal recipe. Kocky’s offers happy hour prices on drinks and appetizers and provides a comfortable atmosphere that owners hope will make the restaurant difficult for customers to miss.

“We want to say they have a house here to come eat and drink when they get off work,” part owner Michael Smith said.

Those that are not familiar with business marketing might be convinced that location, location, location is key and opening a restaurant in an unlikely place like downtown seems like a risk.

Smith, 29, is very aware of the skepticism those have towards opening a business downtown saying, “Everybody said downtown’s not going to work. You can only be open 11 to 2 then the crowd dies down.”

However, those who have made business marketing their profession know otherwise.

“If you’re just like all the other blades of grass and you’re not a blooming flower people will not pay attention to it,” Fresno State professor William E. Rice said.

These words of wisdom may as well be gold to the entrepreneur that tries to open a business in California’s struggling economy.

As Rice implies, individuality is key to a successful business anywhere.

So what makes Kocky’s the freshest flower in town? ­ It’s not just the name it’s the owners. All together there are three.­ Two are graduates from Fresno State’s Craig School of Business and the third is a graduate from Morehouse College, a historical college in Atlanta best known for its famous alumnus Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The three owners plan to combine their talents and experience to make Kocky’s a successful business.

After graduating from the Craig School of Business in 2006, Smith took some time to take on a few promoting positions specializing in dance clubs around California. It wasn’t until five years later that he would use his skills to take on the challenge of co-opening a restaurant.

Smith feels that his experience as a former club promoter is a plus.

“My expertise is getting people to know about certain things,” Smith said.

With his experience in promoting he also understands that there are certain standards that must be met to cater to the clientele his business will face, such as quick service.

“A lot of people have time constraints…they need to get back to their job or whatever they have to do downtown.­ It’s a hustle bustle down here,” Smith said.

Smith knows that there is an average of 30,000 to 40,000 people downtown during business hours. He believes that his expertise in promoting and the teachings from professor Rice’s marketing classes will help pull them in.

It doesn’t just take marketing skills and good happy hour prices to keep a business running, though. It also takes a happy customer.

“The food was fantastic…the service wasn’t bad. The servers were nice, but they weren’t on top of it. Those elements would be the ones that would keep it from succeeding downtown,” Veronica Gonzalez, a customer at Kocky’s said.

Keeping the customer happy is just one of obstacles restaurant owners must face among the many others that change every day.

“It’s not as easy as I thought it was going to be, but I’m up for the challenge,” Smith said.