Pictured is the main entrance of Capri’s Italian of Easley.
Jeff Holt | The Easley Progress
Pictured is Capri’s Italian of Easley owner Derrick Ouzts (middle) with his lead cooks in Charles Boone (left) and Josh Evans (right).
Jeff Holt | The Easley Progress
EASLEY — Derrick Ouzts always knew that he wanted to run a nice restaurant like Capri’s Italian of Easley.
He just didn’t know when or where.
“I see it as iconic. It’s a family environment and that’s one of the things that’s important to me,” said Ouzts. “My hope is that we continue to operate as a family unit.”
Continued Ouzts, as the new owner of Capri’s, “It has great food and experienced cooks. Everything they do in there is second nature to them. I’m trying to learn and understand it because it comes natural to them. I’m observing and asking questions to get an understanding of how they operate, with the hope of how we can build on this to sustain it.”
Ouzts said that he currently has five full-time employees for Capri’s and 40 part-time employees.
Ouzts said he still needs one more full-time worker (an Assistant General Manager) and three more part-time workers.
“I feel you can build people up – showing them their worth,” he said. “Some (of the workers) have been here for nine months, some for two years and some for 30 years. I have a gentleman who has been affiliated with Capri’s for 50 years. I’m not trying to get people to work harder. I’m trying to show them the value that they bring.”
Added Ouzts, “My hope is that we continue to operate as a family unit.”
Ouzts takes great pride in his kitchen at Capri’s and how it relates to the other parts of his restaurant. He’s a hands-on type of guy, too, in leading the way.
“I want to clean up behind the scenes … like in the kitchen,” he said. “I want the kitchen to look like a show room. I want our team members – when they come to work – that they have as much pride walking through the entrance door as the customers do when they get excited coming through the front door.”
In a roundabout way, it seems like things have come full circle for Derrick. He still remembers working at Subway when he was in college at Midland Tech. “I talked to the owner briefly and said that I wanted to own a Subway one day,” he said. “But I put that idea on the back-burner, worked, and landed a career at BMW (for 26 years). In the back of my mind, I knew that I wanted to be self-employed.”
The 54-year-old Ouzts just lights up when talking about running the Capri’s Italian of Easley. His team-first attitude is a definite plus and the way that he has embraced the great tradition of Capri’s.
Derrick and his wife (Shirleen) have been married for 28 years and they have two grown sons (Dameon and Donovan).
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.