Despite the odds, Scott and Nyla Wolf have carved out a lasting family legacy in the restaurant industry. This year, as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first restaurant, Wolfies, and their 40th wedding anniversary, they have penned a book, “Wolves in the Kitchen,” to commemorate these momentous occasions and share their inspiring journey.
“A local writer, Emily Sutherland, approached us because she had heard our story,” Nyla Wolf says. “She’s written about Auntie Anne’s and the Gaither family. She also happens to be local to this area. We weren’t even thinking about writing a book then, but when she wanted to learn more about our story, we thought this would be a great time to do it. We thought it would be great to leave our children and grandchildren.”
Wolf says the book details Scott’s upbringing, including his tragic loss of both his parents at a young age. When she met Scott, he was homeless but working hard to change his circumstances. She was impressed by his integrity and ability to quickly move up the ranks of the local restaurant where they both worked.
“After we married, he worked in various restaurants,” Wolf says. “Then he moved on to build golf courses for Pete Dye. I wasn’t sure traveling the world to build golf courses would be the best idea for our family, so he went into the railroad tie business.”
The couple ended up losing a considerable amount of money in the railroad tie business. Scott went back to the restaurant industry, and the couple contemplated their next move. Wolf says that when they first opened Wolfies, they were $300,000 in debt. They both worked diligently to pay the debt off without filing for bankruptcy.
“The book details our journey of overcoming all these obstacles to succeed in this industry,” Wolf says. “We want to show people if we can do it, they can do it. It’s a survival story. There have been so many ups and downs, but we made it.”
The Wolfs have poured their hearts and souls into Wolfpack Restaurant Group, ensuring it remains a true family-owned business. Wolf reveals they have no partners or investors – a decision that has preserved the family-oriented nature of their restaurants and contributed to their success. She notes that they never dreamed of owning 10 restaurants and only expected to own two. She credits their success to the family members sticking beside each other through it all. They hope to inspire others to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams by sharing their story.
“Writing this book was an interesting process,” Wolf says. “We would meet with Emily twice a month for about six hours at a time. We told her our story, and she would come back with questions. We went through that process for about a year.”
The book is now available at all Wolfpack Restaurant Group restaurants.
