A person who owns one popular restaurant is considered a success. Owning four makes them a legend.
Larry M. Payne, Sr. was considered a legend in the restaurant industry because for 29 years he gambled and won in what many consider to be the toughest business of them all.
‘I’d have to say he was one of the best (restaurateurs) I ever came across,? said Victoria Connolly, a close friend of Payne’s for 20 years and owner of Victoria’s Delights in downtown Oxford. ‘He was like an everyday hero. That’s why everybody loved him. He was a guy that came from humble beginnings, worked hard and did well.?
Sadly, Payne, of Metamora, died Monday, Jan. 19, 2009 from complications related to the colon cancer he beat 10 years ago. He was 65 years old.
Payne owned Duggan’s Irish Pub in Royal Oak and was preparing to celebrate the restaurant’s 25th anniversary this year.
Prior to that, Payne had owned the Long Branch Saloon in Oxford from 1980-84 (where Kalloway’s is now located), Duggan’s in Clarkston from 1998-2003 and Woody’s Diner in Royal Oak from 1996-2006.
‘What I didn’t learn about the restaurant business from Chuck Muer, I learned from Larry Payne,? Connolly said. ‘He wasn’t afraid to try new things. He had a lot of drive.?
Payne, who lived in Oxford from 1972-2006, was honored by the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce as Business Person of the Year for 2004.
‘He was always the optimist of the bunch and I was always the pessimist,? said his son Larry M. Payne, Jr., a 1985 graduate of Oxford High and co-owner of Duggan’s. ‘He’d come up with all the great ideas and I’d tell him why those ideas wouldn’t work. He’d do them anyway and was pretty successful. We made a good team.?
Connolly said Payne was a ‘larger than life? figure who was ‘very charismatic? and had a ‘big zest for life.?
‘He was very much his own man. He didn’t play the game. He did what he wanted.?
‘When he had an idea, he just went for it,? said Oxford resident Kathy Hoeflein, who worked as Payne’s bookkeeper at the Long Branch Saloon. ‘He wasn’t impulsive. He always thought things out, but once he made up his mind, he didn’t waste any time.?
Connolly recalled Payne’s two favorite sayings about life were ‘This ain’t no dress rehearsal? and ‘I never saw a U-Haul following a hearse.?
Loyalty was a two-way street in Payne’s life. He was completely devoted to the people who worked for him and that feeling was returned in spades. ‘He’s got employees that had worked for him at the Long Branch that were still working for him at Duggan’s,? Hoeflein noted.
It was his genuine and basic love of people that formed the core of who Payne was and how he lived.
‘His customers weren’t just customers, they were his friends,? Connolly said.
A generous man who believed in giving back to those less fortunate, Payne was an active volunteer and supporter of the Boys and Girls Club. ‘If he heard about somebody who was down and out, he was the first to offer to pitch in,? Connolly said.
Having grown up in a family that struggled financially, Payne never forgot where he came from or what it was like to be the poor kid.
‘He always tried to help the little guy out,? said his son. ‘If he saw somebody in need, he would anonymously send them a check or whatever they needed. He never wanted credit for anything like that. He just tried to stay low-key.?
Prior to entering the restaurant business, Payne worked for GM Truck and Coach for about 10 years as an engineer.
Payne had such a passion for racing and building race cars, specifically dragsters, that he had a full tool and die shop at his home.
‘The faster the car went, the better. He definitely loved speed,? according to his son. ‘He used to race at the Detroit Dragway, back when it was still in business in the late 60s, early 70s. He was (driving) one of the first cars at the Detroit Dragway to hit 200 miles an hour.?
His love of classic cars naturally led to his overwhelming support of the Woodward Dream Cruise every year. Duggan’s Irish Pub is always a major hub of activity during the popular cruising event. ‘That was his favorite time of year,? said Larry, Jr.
Payne is survived by his children Susan A. Payne and Larry M. Payne, Jr. (Nancy); grandchildren Heather, Nicholas, Sarah, Grant, Chelsea, Sage, Logan, Angela, Ashley and Andrew; great-grandchildren Austin, Sean, Alyssa and Jenna; and siblings Gail Payne, Dottie Payne and Patrica Aldridge.
He’s preceded in death by his wife Carolyn and daughter Donna.
A memorial service was held Jan. 22 at the White Chapel Cemetery in Troy. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society.