Living on Manhattan's Upper West Side ten years ago, Douglas Soclof found kosher dining choices were limited to deli, Mideastern or Chinese.

He saw a growing demand by young Jewish families for foods that the kosher restaurants restricted to Eastern European and Sephardic traditional dishes did not offer. Why shouldn't a strictly kosher consumer be able to enjoy good American fare?

"We were determined, and daring, to be new and unusual. We looked around and saw that kosher dining had no honest-to-goodness family-style barbecue and grill; no one offered outstanding food at really reasonable prices."

So Dougie's was born in 1993 in a field full of falafel huts and shwarma shacks. Never again would hankering for Buffalo wings be an unfulfilled fantasy, a yearning for a savory meatball sandwich end in disappointment, or craving for Cajun chicken lead to agonizing withdrawal. Thanks to Dougie's, kosher people now had opportunities like everyone else.

Dougie's was an instant hit that attracted customers from all over the Metropolitan area, and became renowned for its high-quality Rib Steak, Tenderloin Steak, and peerless Buffalo Style Chicken Wings. It is a casual full-service restaurant designed for families but ideal for everything from a business lunch to a dinner date to a quick refueling nosh.

Dougie's reputation spread far beyond the customers flocking to the restaurant on West 72nd Street.

Today, forty percent of Dougie's business is take-out, and has ebcome the caterer of choice for many corporations, universities, and organizations.

Dougie's has also expanded its menu with popular items such as "firepoppers" (boneless wings), and even bottled its sauces for take-out and retail. Dougie's caters off-premises, specializing in even the most unusual venues (boxing gyms, yachts, Planet Hollywood, etc.

Dougie's serves up the kind of food that makes you glad you get hungry.

Dougie's is a friendly, fun-filled environment, as reflected in the paper-covered wooden tables that scream out for drawing and doodling (on the paper, not the tables), an activity Dougie's gladly indulges by providing crayons and markers to keep would-be Rembrandts of all ages busy before meals and between courses.

If you're expecting a crowd for a festive occasion or get-together, Dougie's features a spacious party room that can accommodate groups ranging from a minyan (10) to a multitude (2,500).

Once, a Kosher restaurant that stayed open and was able to hold its own was an amazing feat in itself. But the Kosher market has been growing by leaps and bounds, and big time Kosher restaurateurs are branching out in numerous locations.

Two years ago, speculation was rife that McDonald 's and Nathan's were about to launch kosher franchises in the U.S. following their success in Israel.

But food industry sources now say that Nathan's is bogged down with its Brooklyn store, and that despite some lip service and an eager franchisee, McDonald's has yet to make a firm commitment.

So while these giant restaurateurs dawdled, Douglas Soclof developed his chain of Dougie's kosher restaurants in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Actually, Soclof is not the first attempt to establish a kosher restaurant chain. The Huberfeld family runs 4 Kosher Delight fast food restaurants in New York, and Mendy's, promoted on Seinfeld, had 3 restaurants (before closing Mendy's West). But Soclof is now headed to become the first Kosher national network. He has targeted Toronto, Miami Beach, Boca Raton, Baltimore and Los Angeles, and has his sights set all the way to Jerusalem.

"I look at the demographics of neighboring communities to be sure the clientele and the traffic is there."

In the spring of 1998, Franchise owner Moshe Landau turned the 18th Avenue Boro Park-Flatbush location into a profitable venture. In Queens, Moshe Hirsch, who worked at the Boro Park location, became the second franchise owner.

Terms for a Dougie's franchise are similar to other national franchises; after the initial fee, there's also a share of profit. They are expected to maintain Dougie's standards, including menus and the waiter's uniforms. Only 31 himself, Soclof takes pride in "helping young entrepreneurs like Landau and Hirsch succeed."

He prefers passing on his successful formula to franchisers rather than opening more stores himself. Soclof spends part of his time visiting the stores to make sure his concept is working. And even as he pursues franchising, Soclof is expanding his flagship restaurant to add seating, and develop a conventional take-out operation that will replace the closed Essen West and Mendy's West.

He also plans a line of Dougie's specialties, including frozen versions of his wings, ribs, and corn dogs for supermarket Kosher sections.

Your appetite is working overtime and a limp slice of pizza and mystery side dish won't do. You're in the mood for something heartier than dairy and tastier than trendy, and you've already put away enough shwarma and felafel to last a lifetime. Welcome to Dougie's Barbecue and Grill, something so different, it'll change your view of kosher eateries.

How, exactly, is Dougie's different? From the sizzling beef and chicken specialties hot off the grill to the heaping pasta platters to the crisp and sumptuous salads, Dougie's is different. From the juiciest ribs to the most melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin you ever imagined, to the meatiest shishkabob anyone's ever put on a stick, Dougie's is different.

From the chili to the chili dogs, the baked potato to the sweet potato chips, the pastrami burgers to the pastrami on club, Dougie's is different. From the simple, sans glitz ambiance and family-friendly atmosphere to the spic-and-span cleanliness, to the old-fashioned courtesy and service, Dougie's is definitely different.