Meet Doug Kramer | Owner of Big Bear Cheesesteaks food truck

We had the good fortune of connecting with Doug Kramer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doug, what is the most important factor behind your success?
In building our Big Bear Cheesesteaks Food Truck, our menu has been the winner. We chose to serve comfort food that is familiar but also well received.  After all that this Covid filled world has done to people, people are seeking small indulgences in life.  Our Philly style Cheesesteaks are received with joy and excitement.  Whether it’s our Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak, Boneless Wings, Chopped salad or Parmesan Truffle Fries, our guests seek us out, following us on Instagram and Facebook to find us wherever we go!  We also bring 40 years in the food industry to the table and recognize how important hospitality and service is as well.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I completed my degree in Hospitality Management at Mercyhurst University and accepted a position with Marriott and entered their restaurant management training program. I was driven to succeed and moved quickly from Asst. Mgr to general manager and HR manager and on to Area Manager with Marriott’s Roy Rogers restaurants. It was at the area manager position that I found I had strong persuasion skills in leading teams and achieving results and I also worked hard to grow and nurture my employees growth in their career. Building teams of people who were invested in their growth and their company brought above average results. I realized what worked and was proud of the success stories I had a hand in. I spent the next 20 years in HR at Marriott, Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurants and TGIFRIDAYS helping grow
Strong teams capable of great results.
In starting Big Bear Cheesesteaks, I applied these things in building my business and developing strong relationships with breweries and brokers and communities.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We have had many good friends and relatives visit us in Denver and have created itineraries to wow them. Denver sports teams are absolutely great, performing arts, festivals, distilleries and Breweries make the Denver area a fantastic destination. A favorite of ours is  The Wild Animal Sanctuary- we were so impressed with the work at the Sanctuary we made them our charity and have it on our truck along with a picture of Phil the Grizzly Bear. We accept donations for them everywhere we go.   We seek out not just great restaurants to visit but seek out outstanding individual servers like Brie at Q’s in Littleton and owners to take our visitors to introducing them and sharing stories. One stop that is a must is the Rusty Bucket in Lakewood. The owner, Ron has created a Pittsburgh style menu, a Pittsburgh Steeler fan base but also brings blues and Jazz bands to his stage and even holds Wednesdays for Jazz musician sit ins that are amazing and powerful. The 16th st mall, Rino for the arts and Lodo for their restaurant scene and the Denver zoo are also a must to explore. We love Little Bear Saloon in Evergreen and Estes Park with its famous Stanley hotel. There is never enough time to do all the things we hope to do with visitors!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
After I was furloughed in March of 2020 and had spent 7 months looking for a position in HR but failing to find a new position, my wife, Wendy said you’ve done nearly every type of food business, why not start a Foodtruck? I initially threw the idea out but then started researching the idea and read everything I could find about the industry and felt a spark! The people who know you best can often point you in a direction that will be filled with growth and success. Wendy works at ANB bank by day and our foodtruck by night!  She deserves so much of the credit for this business and she supports me everyday.

Website: Bigbearcheesesteaks.com

Instagram: Bigbearcheesesteaks

Facebook: Bigbearcheesesteaks

Yelp: Bigbearcheesesteaks