The following is an extended version of the article that appears in our November 2025 issue.
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McKenzie Bryant
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Dot's Back Inn
Raised in Richmond, McKenzie Bryant’s earliest memories involve sitting atop storage containers at Sidewalk Cafe, slipping through the kitchen door of Stella’s for a grilled cheese and ordering Mary Angela’s pizza on Friday nights while her parents worked their restaurant shifts. Her roots run deep through the city’s food scene, and she plans to keep that lineage going: Last year, Bryant, 34, stepped up to run longtime Bellevue eatery Dot’s Back Inn.
RM: Tell us a little bit about your introduction to restaurants.
Bryant: I grew up in the city — in the Fan and then Carytown. My mom worked for the Giavos family for a long time. Her and my stepdad, Jimmy Tsamouras [owner of Dot’s Back Inn and Demi’s], would be working at night when I was growing up. I’ve basically had a bar rag in my hands since I was 5 years old.
My first on-paper restaurant job was at JJ’s Grille at 14. I’ve worked at Northside Grille, Gus’s Bar & Grill, and then The Republic. When I was 20, Jimmy needed a food runner. And then I kind of hopped between The Savory Grain and Dot’s. I’ve been at Dot’s for 14 years.
RM: When you were younger, did you think that you would work in restaurants later in life?
Bryant: I always wanted to. My mom was like, “Oh, don’t you know, it’s hard to get out once you’re in.” I loved the social aspect of it. You either have that thing where you can connect with people and strangers and do the jig, or you don’t. It comes naturally for me, and I felt really good about that at a young age. It made me feel fulfilled to provide such a warm experience. Restaurants teach you how to multitask and how to be self-sufficient and work with a team. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s truly where I want to be.
I earned three degrees, and afterwards, I was looking for a job. But I had to start being honest with myself about restaurants. I thought, “Am I ready for this era to be over?” I went to Jimmy, and I said, “I think I want to step into this role and see where this takes us. I want to carry on the torch for the family.” I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with him and learn from him, which has been really invaluable. It’s a nice opportunity for us to have something to bond over together, and I get a chance to make them proud.
RM: What is it like working at a place that has been open for more than three decades?
Bryant: You see the same families on the same nights every week. One of my first-ever regulars from Gus’s lives in the neighborhood, and he and his family come in every night with a group of their friends. He just came in and asked me if his daughter could have a job. It’s this little community.
And then you don’t see them for a few years, and when you do, it’s like all these feelings come rushing back. You still know that they want a Bud Light or whatever. Hospitality is everything. I mean, that’s what’s important about places like Dot’s, is the ability to build longevity and those relationships. We try not to change it too much; you have to change some things, but [Dot’s] is such a testament to old Richmond restaurants and the kitschy diner vibe. If you close your eyes, maybe you can still smell the cigarette smoke.
RM: Do you work with employees who have been at Dot’s for a long time?
Bryant: Yeah, absolutely. Bird Horne has been here for about 16 years; she worked for my uncle before that, at Yorktown Pub. Annie Gilbert has been here for like 12 or 13 years. Then Duke Turner in the kitchen, Augy Adegeye and Corey Whelan, they’ve all been here forever, over 10 years. We’re all like family. It’s very special. I tell them all the time, “I could not do this without you; it’s not Dot’s without you.” So, whatever we have to do to keep everyone happy, we do.
RM: What is your go-to order at Dot’s?
Bryant: Oh, if I’m hungover, a Rosen burger, the bacon, egg and cheeseburger. If it’s a really cold night, the chicken Smithfield, which is like a sherry cream sauce with rice and chicken and Smithfield ham and onions. I think we have one of the best lunch services in town right now. I mean, we got ossobuco today with garlic whipped mash. We do a lot of good fresh seafood stuff, too. Get a blackened piece of salmon, or some Jamaican jerk salmon, throw it on a salad and call it a day.
RM: What are you doing when you’re off the clock?
Bryant: I’m often home on my couch, in my pajamas. I do love cooking when I’m home, [and] I love using my Leafy Lanes CSA [farm share]; I’m letting the season tell me what I’m going to make that weekend
RM: What is it like seeing the local restaurant scene evolve and grow?
Bryant: The Richmond restaurant scene has always been so incredible. When I was really young, that’s when Grace Street wasn’t overtaken by VCU yet, you had all of these awesome bars and restaurants. And [then], people moving to Richmond, all of these places being torn down just for buildings. COVID also shifted everything. It changed everything.
It’s nice seeing all of this new evolution of restaurants, but at the same time, it’s kind of commercialized a little bit more. Bring back some of those restaurants that made Richmond what it was, a quirky little restaurant town. But you’ve still got the OGs, you have these certain pockets in Richmond that they’ll always keep Richmond on the restaurant scene.
RM: Is it hard working for the family business?
Bryant: It definitely was when I was younger. I will say, in the last year since I’ve taken over, it has been a really special thing for me. Any questions I have about anything, not even necessarily restaurant-, but even maybe business-related, or even something about, like, a piece of hardware from Lowe’s, [Jimmy] loves to teach me, and because my parents are so seasoned in the Richmond restaurant industry, they’ve got the formula, and so I’m fortunate. There is a lot of pressure to succeed, so I make sure that I do what I have to do to get it done. So, it’s all a good pressure.
RM: Will Dot’s be around another 35 years?
Bryant: If I have anything to do with it, absolutely. I’m ready to go another 35 years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
