When Doug Schmick and partner Bill McCormick learned of the development taking place in Cherry Hill they quickly sought a spot for their popular McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants.

And that was just for starters.

After evaluating the market, they learned the Cherry Hill area had all the elements necessary for success -- a concentration of businesses, top-shelf consumer demographics, plenty of hotels, a variety of retailers and -- at the Towne Place at Garden State Park -- location, location, location.

 “The consumers in the area have the specific, sophisticated mindset that matches other areas in which we have done very well,” said Schmick. “These consumers know what they want and how they want it.”

So McCormick & Schmick’s expanded in Cherry Hill almost before it got started.

In addition to the Seafood establishment, Doug and Bill were asked by the Towne Place at Garden State Park developers to open an adjoining Steakhouse to complement the venue. With the support of the development team,‘William Douglas’ (using the first names of McCormick and Schmick) was born.

 “This is a one-of-a-kind concept built to meet the needs of the consumers in this market,” said Schmick. “William Douglas was designed for the Cherry Hill community to honor one of the world’s greatest racetracks.”

The design is traditional with a hint of contemporary flare decorated with art to celebrate the park’s rich history. The menu was also designed to meet the needs of the demographic from lighter alternatives to side dishes that cater to the Italian influence in South Jersey.

 “Some of our guests would prefer pasta instead of a baked potato with their steak, as one example, so we offer a variety of side dishes to compliment their entrée,” Schmick noted.

In addition to a variety of menu selections, both restaurants also offer different price points.

 Schmick serves up this example: “One night a couple might sit down to celebrate their special occasion and take full advantage of the higher end items and spend hours.  The following week, they may come back for a different occasion with a different mindset, but enjoy the occasion more modestly. Our guests will enjoy the same level of service and ambiance provided by our staff and establishment regardless of the occasion.”

One would think that someone with Schmick’s reputation as owner and operator of almost 80 establishments nationwide would fit the profile of a button-downed corporate executive, especially with their 5-star balance sheet. Not so, admits Schmick, adding that “I’m just a hippie.”

Schmick grew up in a small, German-Lutheran farming community in Oregon.  His father’s dream was for his children to go on to law school.  As an incentive, he purchased Doug a Chevy Malibu. After finding a love for liberal arts and literature, the last thing young Doug wanted to do was to “work for the man.” 

So he traded in his Malibu for a Volkswagen camper and, with his co-pilot, Melanie Jeffries (Schmick’s now wife of 38 years) they began their journey in search of the great American novel.

After over a year of living in the camper and tirelessly roaming the country, funds dried up and the two settled back in Oregon, in Portland. Melanie, while working the graveyard shift at a diner to support Doug’s writing career, became pregnant. Doug quickly hit the streets in search of a job.

Since he had spent the previous year with just himself and Melanie in the camper, and another six months locked up by himself writing, Schmick found the task of reconnecting with society challenging. He described his state of being as almost catatonic, which was a recipe for disappointing job interviews out on the street.

He finally stumbled upon Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant. The sign in the window read “Now Hiring, Management Trainee.” With nothing to lose, Schmick hurried inside, and described the interview with the ebullient manager this way: “A fast talker with a catatonic guy.” 

The manager rattled on and on through the interview while Doug sat quietly, later to find out that the interviewer had a fondness for amphetamines, which ignited his gift of gab.

After the interview, the manager closed with, “That was the best interview I’ve ever given, you’re hired!”

So Schmick buried his long-term plan for the great American novel, entered the management trainee program and began to use his creative juices on food and people instead of nouns and adjectives.

During the same period in the early 1970s, McCormick stepped up and purchased Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant, and soon brought the 100-year-old landmark back to life.

When asked the secret of how he revitalized a restaurant on the brink of closing, McCormick says, “I like nothing better than being a good host.”

In addition to his spirited personality, McCormick has an ability to bring out the best in other’s managerial skills and strengths, a combination essential in a successful business.
Part of the managerial talent McCormick tapped was Schmick, the management trainee.

They formed a partnership in 1974, creating Traditional Concepts, a precursor to today’s McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants. In 1979, they opened the original McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in Portland. Since that time, the company has expanded to almost 80 restaurants across the country with 7,000 employees.

Their plans moving forward in South Jersey include Atlantic City, with an anticipated opening in July at Harrah’s.