DV8 Kitchen, a new restaurant that opened recently at 867 S. Broadway, promises “life-changing food.”
And while the scratch-made baked goods, sandwiches and salads are indeed delicious; it’s the benefits for many of the restaurant’s staff that has the potential to truly change lives.
DV8 is Lexington’s first restaurant to focus on second-chance employment. Its founders, Rob and Diane Perez, who also own three Saul Good locations in Lexington, developed the concept to offer employment opportunities for those in substance-abuse recovery programs who are taking positive steps to change their lives.
DV8's Basil Chicken sandwich features a poached egg, avocado and all-natural chicken atop a homemade bun.
DV8 partners with several transitional living facilities in the area to identify prospective employees, who are all pre-screened and actively working a recovery program.
“Generally people have had some sort of run-in with the law, and in this day and age of the internet, it's so simple for someone to find out what their criminal background is, and so many companies are just saying no,” Rob Perez said.
“The real crux of this is that if someone is willing to help themselves and showing that they want to deviate from their old lifestyle, then we're willing to give them a chance and not worry about some of the things that come along with addiction.”
Perez has seen the impacts of substance abuse within the restaurant industry, as well as within the greater Lexington community. He completed a rehabilitation program when he was 25, he said, and has lost 11 people to drugs and alcohol at Saul Good in the time that it’s been open.
“It's rampant in our industry, and I went through it,” he said.
Perez credits his wife, Diane, with the idea to develop a second-chance employment restaurant concept, as well as for arranging for him to ride along with a Lexington police officer, an experience Perez says helped open his eyes to how pervasive the social impacts are.
“I saw how bad the drug culture is here in Lexington, just blocks from our restaurant downtown,” he said. “It broke my heart for Lexington and really solidified my conviction to do something here in an industry that I love.”
Rob and Diane got serious about learning about second-chance employment three years ago, he said. He visited several similar businesses, including Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles and Dave's Killer Bread just outside Portland, Oregon, and found that a bakery model was effective in both employing the most people and in terms of being cost effective.
Courtesy DV8 Kitchen
DV8 Kitchen has quickly become known for its homemade cinnamon rolls.
Their plans kicked into high gear when the owner of their current building offered them the location, and they found themselves with roughly four months to open.
“In a corporate structure, they always say you need $1 million and a year, at least, to open a new restaurant,” said Perez, who has extensive industry experience working for Hard Rock Cafe and the Walt Disney Co., as well as with Applebee's.
Perez secured $250,000 in financing in the form of interest-free private loans to launch DV8, and all of the goods and services to get the restaurant up and running were either donated or discounted. The owner’s salaries are restricted to that of the restaurant’s highest-paid employee, he said, and they’ve pledged all of their shares and dividends back to the community in the form of donations to non-profits.
“In normal Lexington fashion, everybody has been great and we couldn't be more thrilled,” Perez said of the support and initial reaction. "Lexington is amazing."
DV8 Kitchen is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday–Friday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday–Sunday. Visit DV8Kitchen.com for more information.