From the Hardwood to the Pub: A Career Pivot in St. Augustine

For years, basketball was the center of Dougherty’s life. After playing at the junior college level and later for a semi-pro team, he earned an invitation to a training camp for the Gulf Coast Lions. The prospect of a full-time professional contract promised an end to his side jobs, but the reality of the business hit during a three-day break in the team's monthlong camp. He was released, leaving him to drive home to St. Augustine with no clear path forward.

His mother, Kristin Dougherty, had already established herself in the local industry. After discovering an eviction notice on the door of Donovan’s Irish Pub in 2016, she purchased the business, following advice from her father to own the places where she worked. When a fallout between Kristin and her business partner occurred years later, Jareb stepped in to purchase the shares. At 26, he transitioned from a former athlete to a co-owner, navigating the complexities of managing 28 employees and the thin margins of the restaurant trade.

The transition was not seamless. For the first six months, neither partner took a paycheck, and the pair had to navigate the immediate need for equipment repairs. Unlike the previous management structure, which split responsibilities between the front and back of the house, the mother-son team now shares operational duties to ensure both can take time off. Today, the pub remains a family affair, with Dougherty’s grandmother preparing homemade desserts and the menu expanding to include traditional Irish brunch offerings. While the disappointment of his basketball career occasionally surfaces, Dougherty views his current role as a permanent commitment, finding stability in the daily rhythms of the pub.