Lansing, MI -- Thomas Dodd is finally living his dream of owning a restaurant. And his two friends - Fred Ford and Arnold Hegelmann - have willingly signed on for the ride as business partners.

The trio are the owners of BD's (Brother Dodd’s) restaurant and catering kitchen, located at 5919 S. Cedar St.

The Southside establishment joins a growing list of high quality soul food restaurants. BD's is the Capital City's seventh soul food sit-down eatery. Other restaurants includes: Gregory's Ice and Smoke, Ida's, Vernadine's, Winston's Barbeque and two Munchies restaurants.

The trio could be on a poster touting diversity, teamwork and leadership. Ford is a Lansing native, Arnold Hegelmann, was born in Marseillies France and raised in Kalamazoo, and Dodd, was born in Isola, Miss. Several years ago they met through the job - they were all GM supervisors.

The friends came together to be a part of Dodd's dream.

Being a restaurateur has been Dodd's life long ambition. He took a stab at it back in the early 1980's when he opened the "Rib & Bird." He says that although the people loved the barbeque sauce, the venture did not make it. Undaunted, Dodd did not hang up his spatula. He pressed on and continued to cater special events. For 20 years Dodd has been providing food for all occasions.

However, the convergence of opportunity and circumstance helped Dodd push his dream forward. His catering business needed a licensed kitchen to service its expanding customer list, and Dodd was retiring from his day job with General Motors.

"If I had to go to a street corner and put up a tent, I was willing to do that to start the business and work towards a restaurant," a determined Dodd said.

Last August, after a lot of discussion, Dodd secured a lawyer and started looking for investors. He did not have to look any further than his friends Ford and Hegelmann, who were aware of Dodd's dream and wanted to be a part of the effort.

The trio formed a Limited Liability Partnership and pulled together a business plan.

Next they started conducting market surveys and looking for a building. A vacant structure was located on West Saginaw near the Lansing Mall, but it got away.

Subsequently, they located and secured BD's current location, a building that has had its share of ups and downs. The 5919 South Cedar St. address has been the site of several unsuccessful eating establishments.

However, one of the partners is familiar with making a negative situation positive.

Ford knows about turning a loser into a winner.

In 1997, he became the first Black head football coach in the Lansing School District. The job came with a team that had not posted a win in several years. Ford took the helm of the Everett High School football program and took a shellacking on the field.

But he didn't just look for w's. He looked at personal development and positive - incremental improvement. Ford's positive approach paid off during his third and final year as coach when the rising Vikings posted two wins, an overtime victory over Eastern and a downing of Waverly.

The victories restored confidence in the Viking football program. Ford's work obligations ended his prep coaching career, but his approach laid the foundation for a complete resurgence of the school's football program.

"I taught the players to believe in themselves," Ford explained. "I helped them develop confidence and made hard work fun.

"Everyone in the community and the school recognized their efforts."

This positive coaching philosophy combined with the wealth of supervisory knowledge the partnership shares promises to set BD's apart from those who failed at the location and will set the business on a profitable course. The owners also plan to involve the community in their restaurant by sponsoring special events such as concerts, picnics and car shows.

In addition, the trio brings a Christian outlook to their enterprise.

The partners declared their business is Christian based and Christian owned. "We promote an all Christian atmosphere, clean music and clean language and attitude," said Hegelmann. "Everything is presentable."

And the partners walk the walk. Dodd is a deacon at Bethlehem Temple, Ford is a deacon at Friendship Baptist Church and Hegelmann calls Kalamazoo South Christian his church home.

At BD's the food is the star.
The Dodd family recipe stands behind the food. Especially the special barbeque and the sauce.

Dodd's mother-in-law, Annie Minor, helps out in the kitchen and his wife, Delores puts her special touch on the deserts.

BD's does not serve fast food. If a customer wants something fast they should call ahead for a pick up. All orders are prepared when the order is placed and are not held under heat lamps.

The family recipe menu offers: Ribs, chicken and catfish dinners. Turkey salad croissants, fried pork chop, grilled chicken breast and beef brisket lunch sandwiches. Sides include: baked beans, green beans, coleslaw, macaroni & cheese, okra, potato salad and fries. Homemade desserts include; pound cake, peach cobbler. Pies - sweet potato, apple, cherry and peach.

The mouth-watering food is attracting a growing legion of customers. MSU senior Darah Reese says BD's been a long time coming. "I've been waiting a long time for a soul food restaurant like this with home made food. It reminds me of Young's Barbeque in Detroit," she said.

BD's is open Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday from Noon until 8 p.m. Phone orders at: 272-7223 and fax orders at: 272-7265.