Pitt’s Doggin’ It owners plan ‘Starbucks’ of beer

So these guys from India decide they want to open a beer distributor.

It… So these guys from India decide they want to open a beer distributor.

It doesn’t work out — bureaucracy and such — so they decide they want to open a bar. Long story short, that doesn’t work out, either.

So they bought some coolers.

Three months later, Pitt’s Doggin’ It — the newest addition to the Atwood Street skyline — offers upwards of 700 types of beer, and that’s just phase one of the master plan.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Rahul Patel, 30, and a few of his family members — all born in India — were eating in Oakland’s India Garden one afternoon. They noticed an empty storefront across the street from Antoon’s Pizza with a “for sale” sign in the window. Patel’s family, which has some money thanks to a line of successful gas stations along Route 51, decided to make a few phone calls.

“When I watch college movies, I realize that kids like beer more than anything else,” he said. “But we wanted to do something different.”

Patel has worked for beer distributors in the past. He’s also been a bartender and now works his fair share of hours at Pitt’s Doggin’ It. In other words, he knows his beer.

And oh by the way, Patel’s never had a drink in his life.

“If I was religiously against it,” he said. “I wouldn’t be selling it.”

Patel grew up in Gujarat, a state in western India. Another famous Indian is from there, too. His name was Mohandas Gandhi, and he wasn’t a big fan of alcohol. This situation invariably ends with Gujarat becoming the only Indian state to ban alcohol.

Finding the store on Atwood Street might be a bit tough. Other than a few beer lights hanging in the window, there aren’t any signs, and there is certainly no fancy awning with a fancy logo on it. Inside, it looks pretty much like you’d expect it to: a bunch of coolers filled with a bunch of beers.

Pitt’s Doggin’ It prides itself on offering pretty much any beer you can think of and is known to take requests about the brands of beer that it stocks. Besides the abnormally large quantity of single bottles the store sells — its nicest ones are $20 per bottle — another signature of the shop is its 12-packs, many of which are 24-packs cut in half and held together with masking tape. This strategy doesn’t necessarily make its beers cheaper, though (see related chart).

In addition to beer, the store sells candy, chips and other snacks.

And the … different name?

“Well,” Patel said, “We sell hot dogs.” There you have it.

Patel’s wife, brother-in-law, friend and two cousins all run the store with him. They had never worked in a college town before — hell, they’ve only been in the United States for about a decade — and didn’t know exactly what to expect.

“I thought the kids were going to be very crazy,” he said. “But they never make a mess. If you respect those kids, I’ll tell you, it’s worth it. They give it back.”

So, what’s this master plan?

Check back in the fall. Pitt’s Doggin’ It plans to have wi-fi, flat-screen TVs and even more beer. They’re hoping it’ll be a place to relax and of course, enjoy a beer.

“Starbucks serves you coffee,” he said. “We serve your beer.”