Brenden Chudy has had a passion for business since he was 11 or 12 years old through playing Monopoly and he still has that passion. It is the financial aspect and the strategy of the game that draws him in. He no longer sells the properties he acquires, but “negotiates” deals.

“And now it feels like I’m playing it in real life,” says the entrepreneur.

He was “never fascinated with science or basic math,” but was always on the high honor roll.

“They tried to push me into accelerated science and math classes. I asked when will I use this in the real world. It just wasn’t my thing. My passion was business. In my Senior year, no one knew how to write checks, but I would have been able to tell you what kind of cloud was in the sky and what kind of rock was on the ground.”

Chudy named his new restaurant after Jagger, his childhood pet.

He did well in geometry and trigonometry, but didn’t care about those subjects. He loved problem-solving. The small school he attended offered limited courses until his sophomore year when they hired Miss Nason to teach business classes. It wasn’t until his junior year that he decided to take those classes.

“It opened my eyes. I really hadn’t understood the whole business landscape and all that was included.”

In his senior year, he found himself going to her room for the first period and staying until gym class and then returning to her classroom after lunch.

“I was trying to get information, trying to learn. I started with Sports Management and honestly, I just needed to fill my schedule. From there I took accounting, personal finance, economics. She helped me get my scholarship to Jamestown Business College,” says Chudy. “I am thankful the business opportunity came to our school.”

During his high school years, he played soccer, football, baseball and hockey and played basketball for a short time.

Jaggerz Family Restaurant opened on October 1 in Randolph. Photos by Beverly Kehe-Rowland

“I did go to college for four years and got a BS,” he continues. “Twenty per cent has helped me, but 80% came from lessons from the workplace, connections I’ve made and overall experiences.”

He majored in business management and minored in English. His final English project was a 15-page research paper on the minimum wage.

“I decided whatever I did for a career had to make me feel happy and feel fulfilled.”

When he was 16 years old, he was hired for a job at Tim Horton’s.

“My parents couldn’t afford to help me buy a car. I realized I needed to get a job,” says the Salamanca native. “I had the labor laws memorized and worked as many hours as I could legally.”

He kept that first car for five years, all the while taking very good care of his purchase. He gets 40 mpg with his current car.

“Because of my business mind, I check the mileage daily. I am motivated in every aspect and apply it to relationships,” he said.

His passion for problem-solving led to running a business. Three years after he was hired by Tim Horton’s, he became the store manager, the youngest in the history of the company. Jim Kelly, the former quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, goes through his drive-thru about once each week.

“Every day, no matter where I am, there is something I can do to move the business forward,” Chudy said.

After a couple of years of working at Tim Horton’s, he knew he wanted more than to just run someone else’s business. There were times when he wanted to evolve the business, but could not. This made him realize he wanted to start his own business and make his own decisions and run it the way he felt it should be run.

Chudy worked with a business advisor for a year through the Small Business Development Center. His first plan was to open a miniature golf business, but after some thought, he decided to go into food service, since he was familiar with that area. He made a business plan and looked for possible business acquisition opportunities in surrounding towns. It was at this time he discovered the owners of Tony’s Tastee Freeze were retiring and taking applications for someone to take over their business. As a child, he frequented the seasonal business that was located in his hometown. He applied in October, but the owners didn’t let him know he had been selected until April 1, therefore he wasn’t prepared to open. He knew nothing about serving ice cream, but did know the business side of it. He added a drive-thru and a credit card reader and expanded the menu. In just three months’ time, he tripled the previous owners’ sales and became the number one account for Perry’s Ice Cream in Cattaraugus County.

Tony’s was going very well, but he wanted to do whatever he could to make it even more successful. Both he and his employee, Jamie, were doing research to buy a pizza oven when they came to the realization there was no room for it in their small building. When the two of them looked at a pizza oven in Randolph, they discovered not only the oven was available, but the owner’s restaurant was, as well.

Chudy opened Jaggerz Family Restaurant at the location on October 1. It was named after a Sheltie, a family pet from the business owner’s childhood. The family members are classic rock fans, therefore the dog was named after Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones.

“I’m a new owner and because of that, there are new things I’m learning. Owning is different than just managing. You have a lot of different factors to keep it going,” he says. “I’m willing to admit what I don’t know about the cooking end of it, but have a team around me that I’m learning from.”

He believes he is prepared for every situation and that his psychology classes have benefited him in knowing how to meet the needs of the customers. It, also, helps him motivate his employees and show them they are valued. He tells his staff the only way the business will work is if everyone pulls their weight. If one jumps overboard, the ship sinks.

Brenden Chudy has had all of these experiences in just…wait for it…23 years. It’s doubtful the word failure is in the young businessman’s vocabulary. He intends to be open long hours, working around the customers’ habits. He has been warned that other businesses in the small town are closed on Mondays, which makes him compelled to stay open, unless he finds business to be very slow the beginning of the week. He is driven by a strong work ethic and is busy from the time he enters his businesses, be it taking orders, emptying trash, sweeping outside or whatever he deems needs to be done. It is his intention to run his businesses with good customer service and consistent product while making a profit.

The following recipes are not served at Jaggerz, although they are planning to add some gluten-free options to the menu in the future.

Jaggerz is located at 16 Jamestown Street in Randolph. They open at 6AM and close at 9PM every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, when they are closed. Dine in or call (716) 356-5006 for pick-up or curbside delivery. The buzz around Randolph is that the food is delicious and the portions are generous.

GOULASH

1 lb lean ground beef

1 large shallot or small onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T gluten-free Worcestershire sauce

season salt

pepper

1½ c beef broth

15 oz tomato sauce

15 oz diced tomatoes

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

1 c gluten-free elbow macaroni, uncooked

In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain. Season with Worcestershire sauce, a dash of season salt and pepper. Add 1 tsp season salt, broth, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning and bay leaf. Bring liquid to a simmer. Turn heat down to medium. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add elbow noodles then continue to simmer, stirring often, until noodles are tender, 12-14 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with season salt and/or pepper.

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef

½ c cooked white rice

¼ c finely diced onion

½ tsp garlic powder

2 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 T dried parsley

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

SAUCE

1 can condensed tomato soup

1 c vegetable juice, such as V8

8 oz tomato sauce

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp Italian seasoning

chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, rice, onion, garlic powder, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix just until combined. Divide the meat mixture into 20 meatballs and place them in a 2 qt baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup, tomato sauce, vegetable juice, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.