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Frank Eucalitto and Jodi Cross: The Business Side of the Restaurant Industry · Forking Around with Flavor South Florida

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Welcome to Forking Around with Flavor South Florida. I'm Kerri Paizzi, CEO of
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Flavor South Florida. We are sitting down with entrepreneurs, business
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owners, and influential community partners to talk growth, trials,
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tribulations, and more. These conversations lead into Flavor South
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Florida, the region's largest restaurant month, happening every September from
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the 1st through the 30th. If you're in hospitality or thinking about building
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something meaningful in this industry, you're in the right place. Pull up a
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chair and let's get into it.
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This episode is sponsored by Altima Caviar. Visit them at AltimaCaviar.com.
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Welcome back to Forking Around with Flavor South Florida. Today I'm joined
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by two greats in our industry, Frank Eucalitto and Jodi Cross, regional director
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for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association for Palm Beach County and
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the Treasure Coast. Frank is a chef for many, many years in our county. And we
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can't wait to talk about what you all do together, bring to the community, and
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just the wealth of knowledge that you both share with us.
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Thank you for having us. We're really excited.
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Yeah, it's great to be here. Thank you. There's so many layers to what you both
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do. And I want to start with with the FRLA.
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And I say the FRLA because when I say that to people, they go the what?
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I go, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
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This is a big deal and a very, very cool organization that I think people really
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need to learn about it. So tell me and the listeners exactly what it is, what
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it does and what your roles are in uh FRLA.
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Great. Will do. So basically we protect, educate and promote Florida's
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hospitality industry. So I cover Boca to Vero Beach. I'm the regional director
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down here for Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. It's about $111 billion
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industry including restaurants and hotels. So we do everything from
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lobbying on behalf of the industry to try to save money and you know mitigate
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insurance issues, things like that. We promote the industry through supporting
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festivals and and our own local events and things like that. And then we
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educate the industry. uh we do all the ServSafe training, the alcohol
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compliance training, those kinds of things that help restaurants to get
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right with, you know, regulations and then also a lot of different partners
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and benefits that save them a lot of money like natural gas and things like
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that. So that's really the gist of it. Recently, you know, and during the
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pandemic, we were very instrumental in getting a lot of regulations passed that
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helped restaurants do uh alcohol to go, for example, which kept them alive
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during the pandemic. Um, we worked on mitigating insurance claims and things
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like that that are just tedious and really can put a lot of restaurants out
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of business. So, um, anything like that that you know you need help with, I'm
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I'm available. I'm happy to assist in any way possible. So, that's kind of the
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gist of what FRLA does. You also do, if I'm remembering correct,
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something with the music licensing like we with BMI, you give the restaurants a
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there's a discount on there's a discount on BMI. there's a discount on DIRECTV,
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things like that. But I think the passionate part of what Frank and I do
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together is a lot of mentorship and a lot of support of the local schools. I
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know Frank's very passionate about education and getting that next
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generation of employees really tuned into what a hospitality or a restaurant
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career could look like. And it's Yeah. You know, what does that look like? But
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I started my career in hotels and I've been in this business a very long time
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and Frank's been around for, you know, 38 years almost in in the business or
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more. And I think, you know, we met a long time ago in our careers when I was
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at PGA National Resort, but you know, what was your position there?
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I was the director of marketing there for like 10 years.
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Oh, yeah. So,
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Oh, that's so my background is in marketing and hospitality.
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I was just there. Yes. Yeah. Great. It's a great resort.
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is a great resort, but there's 2 million jobs in this industry that, you know, we
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need to fill those positions and we need people to know that it's exciting. Like,
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I have lifetime friends that I've met in the industry and it's not just a, oh,
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I'm a line cook and there's no career for me. There is a career. So, each year
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we do these fundraisers to try to give scholarship monies to these kids. We
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support 18 schools locally. And we give uh last year we gave $40,000
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out to the kids to for scholarships for continuing in culinary and continuing in
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hospitality studies. And we do that through our golf tournament which is
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coming up October 8th and then from Harvest Dines which is also an event we
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do in the Treasure Coast which is coming up on the 29th of October.
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Yeah. Right around the corner. And then EATS which is in January.
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Tell me about each of those. So where where does the golf tournament take
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place? Breakers West. So each year we host it
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at Breakers West. It's named after David Burke, who used to be our board
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president, who was also VP for the Breakers. So we kind of honor him
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through that cuz he loved golf. We sell it out every year. It's a super fun
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event where all the teams come out. They're all restaurant hotel guys and
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there's food on different holes and things like that. So Oh, cool. That's
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awesome. And then the next one is Harvest Dines, which is
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Wait, I've never golfed. Can I come anyway?
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You could come. Definitely. You could ride around in the cart like I do. I'll
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do. I play mini golf. It's a lot of fun. Pretty good at mini golf.
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It's a lot of fun, believe me. Never golfed a day in my life. It's kind
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of embarrassing, but now everybody knows. Do you golf?
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Yes. You know, well, I worked at PGA National for 10
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years and at Doral, so if you got left behind on Friday afternoon when
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everybody else was out golfing, you know,
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should really get into golf. Yeah.
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So, it's funny. So, my son just started high school, which is wild for me right
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now. But one of his electives he chose, so his high school is a dual enrollment
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with the college and so they have really cool classes that they're taking and one
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of his classes is culinary. Nice.
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So maybe he'll be like he'll like pursue that.
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And then so if he went to say further that and wanted needed a scholarship, he
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would be able to go to you to try to get that, right? Is that how that would play
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out? That's very cool. Very cool. Yeah. So,
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and Frank, so what is your position on the uh FRLA?
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This in the past, this year, last year, the board president, worked closely with
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Jodi to have our events, go off successfully, recruit members, host
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events, and really build camaraderie with other people in the industry. And
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then I I really am interested in the education. So, I go to the local high
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schools and I'll go in the kitchens and one year we brought in a whole
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swordfish, one year we brought an octopus. Um, and just bring my chef. We
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go in and cook together and prep items for the events and just usually there's
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three or four kids in the class that are interested and and get them to come to
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the event and get them to apply for the scholarships and hopefully steer them
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towards a career in hospitality. Um, it's there there's a lot of thoughts
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about the the industry that it's, you know, you're overworked and underpaid
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and, you know, all the things that went along with it years ago, but it's really
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it's changed quite a bit. There's so much flexibility in in what you want to
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do in your life, in your career. Yeah. So many opportunities to go a different
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in whatever direction you'd like in in this industry. So, it's it's really
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that's fun is working with the young kids to do that.
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So, how many members do you have right now in your chapter?
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We have 600 members in Palm Beach and 300 in the Treasure Coast and 10,000
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across the state. So really any of the big restaurants, you know, anybody that
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knows anything about the advocacy or the lobbying piece
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knows that, you know, we've got their back and maybe, you know, I should join
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this organization and support them when, you know, when the rubber hits the road.
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There's some great examples recently of things that we've been able to do. One
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of one hotel was converting from a different management property and they
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had like 60 meters in each unit had its own FPL meter and they could not get a
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hold of the organization to say like I need this
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changed by like next Friday I need it changed, you know, and so they reached
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out to us and I was able to make the connection through our contacts with
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with that organization and they were able to get somebody to call them back
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and they were able to get converted on that Friday that they needed to open and
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it just like was great and it worked out and he was so thrilled. So that's the
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kind of power that is behind the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
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Yeah. I mean that's that's important to have that backing because it's like
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Tallahassee each year for tourism day. We try to get
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as many members as and board members that go up and they come from all over
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the state and we get to meet with our representatives and just talk about
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issues and we get lists Jodi and and the Tallahassee staff give us a list of
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issues that are coming up, new bills that are being proposed and you know the
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reasons were for them or against them and we get to talk to the legislators
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and explain bills I've I've caught across just you
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know across the desk and I'm like whoa. And then that's it's like they some of
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them are are not so good. One of them last year was service charge. They
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wanted no more service charges in the whole industry.
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And you fought that. We fought. We won that. We did. I remember that.
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We did. We fought that. And we won that. That would have been every catering
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piece of business. Every wedding piece of business would have been at the
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discretion of the person doing it. Yeah. So I mean a lot of people don't
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understand like that really would have affected the industry in a very big way.
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I don't know why people are so hung up on the service charges, honestly. Like,
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and even as at a as a diner, like if I go out to eat and they want to put 18%
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16, 20, whatever, whatever, up to 20, throw it on my check. I don't care. I'm
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going to do it anyway. And really, and then people are like, "Oh, you're not
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going to get as good service." And I'm like, "That's not I mean, if that is the
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case and you're getting crappy service and you or you feel like you get crappy
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service, like go to the manager. They're going to take the service charge off the
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check." Yes. Yeah.
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I I agree with you. They don't. It's so silly. The servers don't really think
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that way because things to complain about.
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I know. But it manifested from a legislator going to a smoothie
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restaurant and they had automatically tacked on a service fee to the smoothie
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and she just was livid and just was like, "No, that's not right." So, I
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mean, the way we were able to mitigate it was you have to put certain language
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on there that has to be readable, not down to the very tiny bottom of the menu
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that says service charges included. you know, let's not like throw the baby out
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with the bath water. Let's, you know, let's make it so that everybody can see
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it and and read it. That's fine. But again, at the end of the day, any I
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mean, I'm think I can't name one business that wouldn't say, "Oh, I'll
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take it off if you're unhappy with with what I find interesting is that
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there's a lot of push back against it, that some of the restaurants that have
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tried it have have stopped, but there doesn't seem to be any push
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back when it says 20% will be added for a party of six or more."
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Right? So, it's it's weird. People have gotten [unclear] complaints
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about. We don't do that, but I've I know the restaurants do and nobody seems to
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complain. I have a question for you that you might
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or might not know the answer to. So, some restaurants that I know are
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switching their structure to a commission-based
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their servers are now sa more or less salespeople commission-based, right? So
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they add a 16% commission and I say commission very carefully because that's
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the word it is. It's not a service charge. It's not a gratuity. It's a
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commission, right? What do you think of that structure? I
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feel like more and more people are kind of
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exploring that option. It's it's
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becoming because of the the cost of labor. When
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the new minimum wage bill passed, it's servers will be making in
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September, they'll be making $12 an hour um $1.98 um an hour before tips.
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So, it it really eats into a a restaurant's profits. And the money that
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you would be paying your cooks and your managers and anyone who's not tipped is
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going to tipped employees who depending on where you work,
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they could make, you know, three, four, five times that amount per hour in tips.
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So it's it kind of skews how we have to work with our labor budgets. So if you
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do commission salesperson, I think as long as you give 100% of that
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commission to that server, technically you don't have to pay them anything per
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hour, but most restaurants are paying them
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something missing a dollar $4 an hour. Years ago, it used to be $2 an hour. We
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used to pay servers, you know, two or three or $5 an hour or something. Um a
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big gap in Florida. A server collecting a tip, right? a
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gratuity, they're at $11.98 an hour. But if you're a commission server, you
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are at 1,2. Yeah. Depending on what the restaurant
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decides they're going to do. Interesting.
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But they make from I know a few people that do that and they've said that they
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the servers they get all that 16%. Um versus tipping out to a a bus person,
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a bartender, whatever assistant. So they basically now they're keeping um
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if they if they earn 20% in a restaurant, the way the tip structure
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goes, they end up with probably around 15%. After they tip out the people that
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are allowed to be tipped out. The only thing too about that is if
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you're having a if you have a 16% charge on there,
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you're probably going to wind up with like 25%. Because people don't aren't
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really doing all the math all the way and they're leaving extra. They're
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leaving extra. But the ones that I've seen, it'll say additional gratuity.
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We suggest, you know, 3 to 5 or 3 to 7%. It doesn't have that
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20 25 whatever they're putting in these days for
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for tip suggestions. They keep getting higher every time I get a new guest
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check when I go out. It's like, oh, now we're 27% starting at 20 instead of 15
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to 20 or 22, whatever. But one restaurant owner who I think we all
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know, he told me that when he switched to that structure, he took the money he
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was saving from labor and then was able to supplement that money into health
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insurance for his for his uh employees. So that's good. That's a good thing.
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That's a great thing. I mean, that's an awesome thing. you know, if you
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I think it's a little bump in the road when they first make the conversion to
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that and they and servers don't are, you know, they don't really know if that's
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going to be a good thing. And then, you know, a little bit down the road, they
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realize, okay, wait a minute, now I've got a lot more benefits. I'm getting the
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same amount of money I was, if not more. And plus, I'm getting healthcare. So, I
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mean, I think it works out pretty good. Yeah.
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Yes. servers, they and at least my experience and servers as as a whole,
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they're they like the idea of going the extra step, the extra mile to to take
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care of their guests, to form relationships with them
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and knowing that they're going to be compensated for that. And so they feel
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like, you know, I'm only, you know, it's only 16%. Well, they normally they're
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giving me, you know, 22 24 and they don't know if somebody's going to
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actually add on to that tip or they're going to be offended because they got
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charged a service charge, a commission and just say, "Okay, here that's what
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you're getting." So, they seem to at least the ones the
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ones that I know and the ones that work for us are kind of are still against it.
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But, yeah. Well,
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I mean, look, if you're a restaurant owner, like any other industry, like not
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not the servers, but the the the customers, like this is your house. This
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is your house. Like, these are your rules.
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Yeah. Sorry. Sorry, but not sorry.
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That's what it is. You don't go into other I don't go into any other business
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and go I I just feel like it's so crazy to me. People have some sort of
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entitlement when they go to restaurants and I'm just like,
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what? What? How did this even happen? Like
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I'm trying to like sit here like just say that out loud. Like it's wild to me
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if there's a service charge like you know and an attorney, right? And there
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was a there was a pro an admin fee on there or whatever. It's like every other
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nobody who nobody's barking at that is the doctor. Everybody's got a little fee
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of some sort going around. people bring the credit card fees on credit card fees
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everywhere like you know and I'm just like
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I'm not I'm not mad about it. Maybe I'm like the unusual one in the in the
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bunch, but I'm just like I understand though you need to get [unclear]. You need
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to kind of pass along those fees to people or else the real the reality is
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okay. So now don't pass along those fees. Now take the fee and put it into
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the item that you're selling. Now the item price of the that going up one way
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or the other you got to get paid that money.
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Exactly. Right. Right. 3% adds up. Yeah. Well, you're
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adding to the item price, which increases the tip amount, which
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increases the sales tax amount. So, the guest is actually paying more if
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you add versus adding 3% to your to your prices.
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It's just math, people. One way or another at the end, it comes
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out comes out the same. But Frank,
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Mhm. Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank, you have
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been in this industry a long time. Yes. Long time. 40 44 years down here.
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44 years. 1982 82 was our first restaurant. Mhm. Moved
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here in '81 and worked in Palm Beach for a year and a half at Café L'Europe
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and then we opened a little place in Tequesta
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called what? Cobblestone Café.
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Yeah. And then and then opened Chardonnay in '86.
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So you have Café Chardonnay in Palm Beach Gardens that you opened 40 years
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ago. 40 years ago this November. Yes. So,
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and then after that we opened a restaurant called No Anchovies which was
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an Italian pizza pasta fun family place. We had
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three of those and we opened Off the Vine in Palm Beach Gardens we opened uh
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Sandbar in Jupiter and 2001
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to 2004 we decided okay it's just going to go back to just having
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Chardonnay. Our kids were getting older. I mean it was just time to go back to
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years and you still have hair. Not much but you do man. You do.
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So, I would love to hear just your version
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of the evolution. Bring me back to 1982 owning a restaurant in Palm Beach
18:31
Gardens. All right. What did that look like?
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1982. We're in Tequesta Gallery Square North where the Gallery Grille is now.
18:39
Oh, bring me to 86 then. 86. Bring me right to Café Chardonnay in
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1986. I-95 ended at PGA Boulevard and started again in Fort Pierce. Um, so
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everyone got off the highway, all the trucks got off the highway and went out
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to the turnpike or east and A1A. The mall wasn't there.
18:59
Mhm. It was opened in 88. There were probably
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20 restaurants in Palm Beach Gardens. I think our shopping center had three like
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restaurants on ours. A few. PGA National was open then. Water. No, Waterway wasn't
19:12
there. River House was there, the original River House,
19:15
and then there weren't many places. The old Winn-Dixie Plaza
19:19
where we ended up with our first [unclear] restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens
19:23
We might be now since the River House had closed.
19:27
I feel like the Waterway was around the same time we opened. I remember what
19:31
year exactly Waterway opened. I remember the Waterway too.
19:33
And so we're we're if we're not the oldest one, we're one of the oldest ones
19:38
in Palm Beach Gardens. Same spot. We expanded once in 93. We added a bar.
19:44
Originally, we just had a [unclear] and a dining room and uh no liquor. And we
19:49
added liquor in 2003 when the martini craze
19:54
it took off and they changed the seating requirements
19:57
for a liquor license. Yeah.
19:59
So, we switched switched to having a liquor
20:02
license since then. So, and we've redecorated
20:06
or upgraded the restaurant, I don't know, five or six times over
20:09
over the years and kept a lot of a lot of it's the same, but a lot of it's
20:14
different. So, it's Do you have any dishes that are on the
20:16
menu now that were on the menu in 1986? There's some that we can't take off.
20:21
There's macadamia nut-crusted yellowtail snapper
20:25
is that's still almost every night our biggest seller. and that rack of lamb wild
20:31
mushroom strudel. Oh, that's freaking delicious. Those are
20:35
the three that have been I get it every time
20:38
besides onion soup and Caesar salad, things like that. Um,
20:42
and then over the years we've added things, taken things off, but once they
20:47
become popular, then it's harder and harder to take them off.
20:51
And so the menu just keeps getting bigger when I'm trying to make it
20:54
smaller. Uh, and I want I see things I want to try and then I've got to have
20:58
two lamb dishes on instead of one or an extra preparation of some type of
21:03
seafood or we end up instead of having three different fish, we have five
21:06
different fish plus shellfish. And so what's the history of the space? Because
21:11
you have a very cool little lofty area upstairs that I love.
21:15
It was a design studio furniture store. Oh, okay. when we took it over. And so
21:20
that loft was there. It was there was a spiral staircase going up and it was all
21:24
Lucite. And so we Mr. DiVosta, Buz DiVosta was the
21:29
owner of the shopping center and he was a customer in Tequesta.
21:32
Mhm. So I mentioned him if he ever had a
21:34
space open, we'd love to open down there. And then a few months later he
21:37
said, "Okay, I've got somebody that's leaving." So we ended up, you know,
21:40
building it out ourselves. We joked, my wife Gigi was painting it. They've got
21:44
16 foot ceilings and I hated to go up a ladder. So she said, "I'll I'll paint."
21:50
So she got up the ladder and she's painting this top two feet stripe all
21:54
the way across it. And then like two months later, we find
21:57
out she was pregnant for our first child while she's up there like
22:00
painting the walls. Yeah. So we've had
22:05
our pastry chef is still with us. He was a dishwasher when he first started and
22:10
he's still with us. He's been with us 40 years and so got a lot of long-term
22:13
employees, a lot of servers that have been there 25 30 years.
22:15
Well, Amber who works for us, she was great.
22:19
She is my right hand for Flavor and she when I started working when the first,
22:25
you know, when I first hired her, which is now 5 years ago,
22:28
she says, "Oh, yeah." And she goes, "I used to work at Café Chardonnay." I'm
22:32
like, "You did?" And she's like, "Yeah, that was like my favorite job ever." She
22:36
loved She still talks about it. She loved it there. I know she was there 20
22:39
years ago. You know, she's married little kids now. Right.
22:42
She's like a whole adult now, not a little teenage.
22:45
Her husband at the food and wine festival for
22:48
Yeah, they're good people. They're real good people.
22:50
Like Nick that's opening [restaurant name unclear] out in Wellington. He worked for you, too. So,
22:53
he's spun off a lot of 20 years ago. Nick will be here in 1 hour.
22:59
Yeah. He's he's spun off a lot of other entrepreneurs and restaurant owners and
23:04
operators. It's amazing what a mentor he's been. Yeah.
23:07
Yeah. Yeah, for so many.
23:08
I have fun some fun Café Chardonnay stories for you.
23:12
So, I moved here in 2010 from New York and I was very familiar with New York
23:18
City Restaurant Week and all that and always worked in restaurants as a
23:22
hostess, a server, bartender since I'm 14 years old as a as a hostess
23:27
in New York and 600 dinners and all the things. So,
23:30
I've always been in it. And then when I moved here, I started working at Capital
23:34
Grille in Gardens as their assistant marketing manager. And then I did a host
23:39
shift on Saturday nights. So I was like Monday through Thursday and then on in 9
23:43
to 5 Mhm.
23:44
in the office and then Saturday night that was a fun time. So I got familiar
23:50
with Flavor through Briana Beaty the founder
23:54
as a diner. The very first Flavor dinner that I ever ate was in 2010 at Café
24:03
Chardonnay. My mom and I went and I looked at this
24:08
list. I say this look amazing. And I'm going to pull up some old photos because
24:12
I'm sure I don't delete anything. Um, but it was like it was such a welcoming
24:19
moment for me. And if my memory serves correctly,
24:22
I also think I ate there around 1995 with my grandfather who lived in Jupiter
24:29
and Stuart in the '90s as Stuart was developing.
24:32
Mhm. He has since passed and we went to
24:35
River House a lot and I'm going to confidently say we also went to Café
24:39
Chardonnay back then. So, it has a special place in my heart and my in
24:44
Amber's heart. It's this is such and so many people hundreds of thousand
24:48
thousands of people in our community that
24:52
have these same stories because I'm sure right now what you're seeing as I get
24:56
goosebumps saying this because it it's so so unusual for this to be a case for
25:02
a restaurant 40 years same owner original dishes like that's passion man
25:08
you know but like I'm sure now you're seeing not only the guests you saw 40
25:13
years ago come But now their children and maybe even their children, their
25:18
grandchildren. So generations coming in like that is
25:22
such a testament to you. Yeah. We had a wine dinner a few months
25:26
ago and the the rep for the wine company
25:31
used to work for one of the local um wine distributors. So she was coming in,
25:35
you know, every week 20 years ago and then coming in to dinner. And then
25:39
it ended up being three or four people that have been coming since our first
25:44
restaurant were opening. And so one couple brought their son who's now like
25:49
45. He used to come to Cobblestone Café in his little league
25:54
uniform. He was like 6 years old or whatever he was. He'd come in after a
25:57
game. They'd bring him into dinner. Um so he was he was there with his parents
26:00
and then other other people that have been there just coming for you know
26:03
since we opened. So it's really really interesting. They were upstairs
26:06
and they really enjoyed it. We have we had quite a few offers over
26:10
the years to move the location to the new shopping centers that had opened
26:14
along PGA Boulevard and offers, you know, we're going to build you a new
26:18
restaurant. We're going to give you, you know, everything's going to be brand new
26:21
and more seats and, you know, whatever. And I thought, you know, it's just
26:25
wouldn't be the same restaurant, even though we could take the staff, we could
26:28
decorate it the same, we could yeah,
26:30
we could uh do the same menu. It just my engagement didn't happen there.
26:35
happened in this window table and look overlooking the parking lot, but it
26:39
still was a special special occasion or special event in somebody's life. So,
26:43
it's really been uh I love that. I just love that.
26:45
We've been fortunate to be able to stay there because we've only had two
26:49
landlords since we moved in and both of them, Mr. DiVosta and then our newer
26:54
landlord are both both were interested in keeping their centers full with
26:58
locals instead of just trying to push the
27:00
locals out and see how much money they could get for rent. That is very
27:04
refreshing to hear because I have been hearing lately a lot of people having
27:09
real big issues with their landlord and their rent and their CAM fees
27:13
and it's just pushing people out left and right and people are like, "Oh, why
27:18
did that place close?" Because it was so good and all this and that, but like
27:22
between insurance and then your your rent going up and the
27:27
CAM fees and like food costs,
27:29
food for I mean obvious. Yeah, besides the regular things if you don't have a
27:35
good lease or own the building, you're Yeah.
27:37
You're really kind of you don't have anywhere else to go.
27:40
What is the craziest transition you both have seen being in the industry for so
27:44
long? How in hotels as well? What like over the years? What's like the is there
27:49
what is I feel like for me my answer would be like the whole Instagram craze
27:54
of photographing your food all the time,
27:57
photographing everything. Yeah. Yeah. I'd say influencers are huge. uh
28:02
the you know all the constant you know like you said Instagram but now AI
28:07
really is coming on very strong and in a way that helps restaurants be able to
28:13
mitigate labor costs, food costs. I know a lot of restaurants that are starting
28:18
to really delve into how can this help us to manage our our costs, keep them in
28:25
line, show us what meal periods are, you know, the most um rewarding for this
28:32
restaurant. Maybe they close one that isn't working out. So that data and that
28:36
stuff from AI that is coming through to the restaurants that really embrace it,
28:40
I think that's the newest thing. That's just going to be, you know, the wave of
28:44
the future. very helpful because think information that I wanted that I want to
28:47
get what's selling what we're buying all that it would be you know an hour out of
28:53
your day doing a exactly doing a spreadsheet
28:56
downloading all the information and sorting it and so I put it into I just
29:00
did one a couple weeks ago put in Claude
29:03
and just here's all my information what we sell
29:06
and and combine it all and give me a spreadsheet a form that I can give to
29:10
the chef and he can see exactly how many of each item he sells every and not me
29:15
having to go through or him having to go through four different line items
29:18
for each day. You just get frustrated and don't do it
29:21
right. And tell you who your number one server is, who's selling most, you know.
29:25
Yeah. So, it's so intriguing right now and the whole transition of people using
29:30
AI. You use OpenTable.
29:32
Yes. Yeah. I liked OpenTable.
29:34
I've been using it since, is that 2009, 2010 when the salesman
29:39
came in with a an iPhone. Mhm.
29:42
I wasn't going to use it. I didn't use it till then and when he came with the
29:44
iPhone and showed me the app and said they could be at the mall and they
29:49
trying to decide where they're going to eat and they just have to look at their
29:52
phone and see what's around and you know click
29:54
on reservation. So that's when we switched over to them. [unclear] through the
29:58
whole you know 17 years with them.
30:02
His customers have embraced it, haven't they? Especially the comment section.
30:05
Yeah. where they want the corner table that
30:09
they've had for 40 years or they want pixie dust on the table for their
30:13
birthday or they want this type of wine and the server's name they want.
30:19
Yeah, it was the same what dossier or chits is
30:23
what we've called them, you know, right? And we had some when you push the button
30:27
to go seat them and all a sudden it's going
30:31
oh crap. It's [unclear], 20, 20 comments later and you're like
30:36
okay but but to that note okay I think there are
30:39
a few restaurants that really utilize that that well
30:42
he he does I think EVO does a really good job
30:45
utilizing that like Capital Grille You and EVO I I would say top three I that
30:50
that I'm aware of that use it because that's it's just like
30:55
I get frustrated a lot with hostesses bad hostesses because it's really easy
31:02
if you to be a good hostess in my head. Take the notes, get to know the guest,
31:07
what's your grandchild's name? Write it down in the notes. So next time they
31:10
come back, hey, how's Sophie? How's Sophia doing? Or you know what I mean?
31:13
So it's like that's what you utilize that for. Not only do they have really
31:17
cool marketing tools, but then you know the guest thinks that you actually
31:20
remembered them. I'm telling all the secrets, but no, there's cheat sheets.
31:23
People use them.
31:25
Use them. It makes the guest experience so much better.
31:28
Yes. So like I would like although we would be like whoa it's a big one it's
31:33
it's helpful and it helps it helps make them that that repeat
31:37
guest. You I bet have data of like what is your percentage of return guests
31:43
versus first-time guests. This episode is sponsored by Altima
31:46
Caviar. Experience exceptional. Visit them at AltimaCaviar.com.
31:53
It's about 65% return guest return. It it yeah it's a pretty high
31:58
new guest because of the area we're in in especially in the winter
32:01
because there's so many uh people that are here for vacations to golf to you
32:06
here for a month or a week or whatever. But it's definitely become more of a
32:10
year-round community than it was years ago and like
32:14
you mean that's traffic all summer. Where are these people coming from? They
32:18
live here all year. They're here now and it's it was hot. It
32:21
was a hot one. Mhm.
32:24
Yeah. Also, a fun fact I'm gonna tell everyone about Café Chardonnay is that
32:29
so you I had interviewed Briana here on the podcast. She's episode one. We
32:34
opened it with with the OG of it all and I played a game with her and I said,
32:38
"Who are some of the original restaurants?" And Café Chardonnay
32:42
is one of four restaurants of Flavor today
32:47
that is doing it for we're entering our 20th season. We just wrapped up our 19th
32:52
season for Flavor. [unclear] That's great, right? It's crazy. And I'm so excited
32:57
and I love seeing that. I love knowing that. And it's also a little wild
33:02
because a lot of the restaurants that say don't participate when I look at her
33:05
original list, they're closed. They're gone.
33:08
They're gone. I think like III Forks was a popular
33:11
one back then, you know. Um God there was a lot of
33:16
somebody else I'm thinking of [restaurant name unclear]. That's still there. Still there. That's
33:19
still there. No, I'm thinking of somebody else. But it's really
33:23
interesting to see the evolution of our food scene here.
33:27
We have Michelin rated restaurants. We've got these chefs here. We've got
33:31
these chefs coming in from all over really. Miami, New York, Chicago coming
33:37
here to our counties. And I say counties
33:40
plural because Jodi, as you know, with the Treasure Coast,
33:44
that in itself is like becoming a scene. The amount of restaurants I keep telling
33:48
every restaurant owner that I'm friends with here and they're poking around
33:51
looking for another restaurant like oh I was thinking I was looking in West Palm.
33:55
I'm like bad move. Go to Palm City.
33:58
Mhm. Am I right?
33:59
Mhm. That whole area island and that you know
34:03
exploding. Yes, definitely. Yeah.
34:06
It's a great spot. Why would it? You know, I think Café Chardonnay
34:11
happened there. What's happened there is that Port St.
34:15
Lucie and Palm City have become the bedroom community for employees that
34:19
work in down here in Palm Beach County because they can't afford to live down
34:24
here. So, they live up there and it's just, you know, then you've got that
34:28
whole captive audience of people that are living there and you're dining in a
34:31
10 mile radius. You know, my husband and I always joke about it like, "Oh, that's
34:34
out of my radius." We dine, you know, in Jupiter because we
34:38
live in Jupiter, right? So, I have no radius clause,
34:42
unfortunately. I mean, I'm I'm like I'll go anywhere to eat, like anywhere, but I
34:49
really like the Brightline. So, I don't love to drive. Everyone assumes cuz I'm
34:52
always all over the place. I'm I'm not a big driver. I like Uber.
34:57
I'm not a big drinker. It really has nothing to do with drinking either. Some
34:59
people just take Uber because they're drinking. Like, I'm I'm a one or two
35:03
drink person with my dinner and that's probably about it. So, it's funny
35:07
because there was like you're I'm Ubering or I'm taking the Brightline if
35:10
I'm going to Miami or Lauderdale or even even Boca. I I don't mind going doing
35:14
that. And it's like I don't want to think
35:17
about the driving and the traffic. I just want to have a nice night.
35:21
I'm very pro Brightline. Yeah, Brightline's great go to Miami,
35:25
especially if you don't want to drive down south.
35:27
Yes. So, yeah. No, I don't want to do that. I
35:29
don't want any of that. Yeah.
35:30
So, you live in Jupiter? I do.
35:32
Um, what are some of your favorite restaurants? Can you name them?
35:36
Oh jeez, that's a tricky one.
35:38
Well, Café Chardonnay. I love I mean the go-tos for me.
35:44
Portobello. I love I love the Reef Grill. Captain Charlie's, you know, some
35:49
of more the hole in the wall kind of. with great fish. You know, we go
35:54
probably, you know, that's the radius, the the Dive Bar, you know, things like
35:59
that up on um Lucky Shuck, those, you know, down that down that area there.
36:04
Guanabanas. Yeah. You like fish. I like steak, too. I We do a lot of
36:09
the Ruth's Chris happy hour, things like that, you know. Uh Lewis Prime
36:13
Grill, I love. So, and Mike, Little Moir's, those are those are all great
36:18
restaurants. He's got a great collection of restaurants, too. I love me some Food
36:21
Shack. Food Shack. Yep. All of those.
36:24
Those are so good. Mhm. So lucky to have such great food.
36:27
We do. We have so many options. Yeah. It's just You don't know till you go and
36:32
live somewhere else. Like I'm from upstate New York and
36:34
you basically get like cod or that's it, you know, like bass, you
36:40
know, kind of stuff. And you come down here. I I remember one restaurant opened
36:43
down here and they were serving lake fish and I thought to myself, "Yeah,
36:46
that's not going to make it. That doesn't sound that concept is They were
36:49
gone. They were gone in like eight months. I forget the name of them, but I
36:52
was like, "Lake fish? Really? You have fish right off the shore? Then you're
36:55
and you're going to fly in stuff from Michigan." I I just It's crazy. I've
36:59
seen so many restaurants come and go. You know, we always talk about that like
37:02
after we go to a new place, we say to I say to my husband, "Would you go back
37:06
there again? Did you like it? Was it memorable?
37:10
Was it memorable?" Okay. So, I mean, we just went to Arthur & Sons. Memorable.
37:15
You can't hear anything, but memorable. if you want to have a birthday or
37:18
whatever. But it's super loud. It's fun. The music's blaring, you know. But
37:23
it's funny you say that because people often ask me, "What your restaurant?
37:27
Have you ever been here? What do you think of it?" Oh, yeah. I've been there.
37:29
Uhhuh. What' you think of it?
37:32
Was it? I don't remember what I ate.
37:33
That's it. So, I don't think it And not that I
37:36
don't not to say it wasn't good, but I it wasn't memorable. I don't remember
37:40
what I ate. And that's a bad sign for me because if I'm not sitting there craving
37:45
Café Chardonnay's scallops that I ate, you know,
37:49
right, a year ago,
37:52
but I always get the mushroom strudel. And that's the thing. It's like when you
37:55
have those dishes in your head and you're remembering what you ate a year
37:58
ago, right?
37:59
And that happens with us with with the seasonal guests because
38:03
they'll have the macadamia snapper, for example, and they're they're coming back
38:07
again. And if we didn't have it, I've been waiting a year to come back and
38:10
have this dish. And if I or the apple pie or whatever, we make all our own
38:15
desserts. So, we've got I try to I try to scale it back to eight desserts. And
38:19
whatever one I have Desi not make
38:22
then there's a regular that comes in that night that they came only for this
38:26
dessert. Only for that.
38:27
Yeah. Gosh. Of course.
38:29
Yeah, man. I mean, but I have to think that the menu that
38:32
you do for Flavor gives you an opportunity to play around with new
38:36
things because you can keep the regular stuff on the menu but sample and try
38:40
some new things. Right. So, that's one of the benefits of Flavor.
38:44
I have to tell you Flavor. I'm going to look something up while you
38:47
while you finish um something like Flavor since
38:52
we opened second or third year after we opened. We used to do taste I forget
38:57
what we called it. um Taste of [unclear]. No, we used to do kind of dining
39:00
flights and it was like tour of America and we
39:03
would do cities and each each week would be a different city and it'd be it was
39:08
$21 back then and it would be um I think two courses, three courses but only uh
39:14
two choices but back then we had to print them.
39:17
So we had the wine company print them then sell their wine. we had to handle
39:22
label them and then send them bulk mail to get to people because this was you
39:26
know the '80s to '90s there wasn't really any way to get to get that out there. So
39:29
we've always been doing something like that and it's kind and now with email
39:32
and social media and stuff we can put it out but it's funny like especially this
39:36
this month they'll start calling you saying people calling about um Flavor
39:40
and asking about Flavor. They'll call you
39:42
and say oh when's Flavor start? Okay it's in September but you know this
39:46
month we have our summer dinner trio. It's this this and this. Oh, no. We We
39:49
want to wait till Flavor. It happens a lot. I mean, it's not
39:52
You're not the first restaurant owner to tell me.
39:55
It's the same It's the same menu. No, it's not supposed to be. It's
39:59
supposed to be different. No, I mean same format menu. I should
40:02
say the same concept. Yeah. I have had
40:04
no same menu. Probably at least a dozen restaurant
40:06
owners tell me that. And I've also had restaurant owners say, "Can we start
40:10
Flavor in August?" My answer is going to be no forever, I
40:15
think, because I know Miami Spice starts in August in Lauderdale and and that's
40:19
fine, but they have more people than we have
40:21
and I want I want it to be that that what you just
40:25
and I want people to be excited and you have to think about it too. It's been
40:30
branded for so long as September for me to try to say, okay, it's our
40:34
August now that I just won't do well in August. I I
40:38
don't think I mean I just don't think and August is it's a tough month because
40:41
the first two weeks is back to school. People are gone. They're trying to get
40:45
back in the routines again and then September down here September now it's
40:50
kind of a a month that kind of shifts towards the
40:53
the positive side because people are coming earlier if they if
40:57
they uh live out of state and everything settles down with school, businesses can
41:02
get back to normal and so we definitely see an increase in
41:05
business in September where years ago September was the slowest month. Right.
41:08
And that's when Briana started it because
41:09
she she asked what's the slowest month and it was September.
41:13
Well, La Masseria asked me this year if they could they said, "Can we start our
41:16
Flavor menu in August?" I said, "You can do a prix fixe. I can't tell you no,
41:21
but you can't put the Flavor logo on it and it can't be a Flavor menu."
41:24
And he was like, "Okay, yeah, no problem." And I know a lot of
41:27
restaurants do do prix fixe menus in August, but
41:31
and that's fine. I mean, have at it, you know, but the feedback I get a lot from
41:36
them is that they do about 50% less of those
41:40
prix fixe menus, 50 to 70% less in August than they actually than they do in September.
41:45
And that's why I always see restaurants that are a
41:49
little hesitant to even to join Flavor. And it's kind of baffling to me because
41:54
they they they'll go and put a prix fixe menu out in September. It's not a Flavor
41:58
menu, but I'm just want to be like just be a part of the community. That's what
42:02
it is. Be a part of the of the conversation, right?
42:07
But, you know, those are my pains, but I only lead the horse to the water, right?
42:12
Yes. So, Frank, what are your favorite
42:16
restaurants in the area? Oh gosh. Um, EVO.
42:19
He thought he got he thought he he stayed there.
42:22
Yeah. No, we go to EVO. Mike's Mike Moir's restaurants are great. Dive Bar.
42:27
When our grandkids are here, we Dune Dog cuz that's where they want to go.
42:30
Yeah. I'm just They get their fish fingers and
42:34
their ice cream and they're happy. And you're out of there in 45 minutes.
42:38
It makes me happy. Yeah. So, fish fingers and ice cream.
42:40
So, um there's nothing where else do we go. Capital Grille, course we want. Steak
42:44
is good. Nothing else we go out to. We don't really go out that much. So, we
42:49
get home and then it's like just Do you cook for Gigi at home?
42:52
I either I cook. She cooks. Yeah.
42:54
And she'll cook like home food. meatloaf and chicken that I'll bring food home.
42:59
Yeah. And so I'll cook sometimes at home. If
43:02
the kids are coming home, I'll cook. If they want my food, but she did we did a
43:06
survey and they all picked her food as their favorite. So I kind of lost out on
43:09
that one. Do you cook? That's great. Yes, I do.
43:12
Yeah, I love to cook. What's your favorite thing to cook?
43:14
Oh, I love all the Barefoot Contessa stuff like coq au vin and beef bourguignon. If I'm
43:20
really having a dinner party, I'll put the dog on with that, but that takes
43:23
like all day. when I turn the air conditioning down in the house.
43:25
There's a grouper in parchment that I love that I got from the old the old River
43:30
House. The old River House. Yes. With the brandy breadcrumbs before they
43:35
closed. I got that recipe. And I also got a chicken Panama Hattie's
43:40
honey mustard chicken salad recipe before Panama Hattie's closed. And I make
43:44
that a lot too. So, I've got some go-to favorites for sure.
43:47
What a fun thing to tell you off air and I'll keep the viewers intrigued, but
43:51
we'll pick that up at another time. You know who else is really really good?
43:54
Parisian. Yeah,
43:57
he's he's a funny guy, too. He's been around a long time for a
44:01
minute. Absolutely.
44:02
I enjoy that food. I again, it depends. People ask why it's hard because people
44:05
say, "What's your favorite restaurant?" I'm like, "What am I in the mood for?"
44:08
Right. And I think it depends, too. Is it your birthday? Are you just going
44:11
out, you know? Um Jodi, it's my birthday every day.
44:15
Every day. It's been my whole birthday month for July. I've been everywhere.
44:18
I've been everywhere. I finally went to Buccan. It was just amazing for my
44:21
birthday, you guys. The Palm Beach one. Yeah. So, that was You never went there.
44:25
I've never I'm embarrassed to say I've never been there. I know. And it was
44:28
delicious. I went to the Coral Gables opening of
44:31
their Buccan. They just opened in Miami.
44:34
Yeah. Oh, that was must have been great. Right. Normally, I go to uh what's the
44:38
what's T's restaurant downtown there? The French restaurant. I love the
44:42
normally on for my birthday. I like French food.
44:47
Oh, yeah. I mean, pommes frites, you cannot beat that. Yeah.
44:52
I gotta tell you, this is so incredibly random. I don't know if I think you both
44:55
know this that I book bands as one of my companies.
45:00
Yeah, I do that, too. Um, so one of the I wish it's like pretty it's it's pretty
45:06
consuming. Uh, but my partner and I are do we work really well together and we
45:10
so we book about 20 different restaurants um venues at the moment and
45:14
work with about 500 bands currently. Great. Um, we're doing some festivals
45:18
coming up actually right around the corner. HarbourFest at Harbourside. We're
45:22
doing all of music for that two-day event
45:25
and that's October 16, 17. Mhm.
45:29
So, why did I bring that up though? So, one of the venues that we booked music
45:34
for is in up in Melbourne. It's called Meg O'Malley's.
45:37
Oh, yeah. My daughter. Yeah. We've been there a bunch of times.
45:40
My daughter lives up there. I am obsessed with their food.
45:44
Their food is great. Their food is so good. So if you're ever up in Melbourne
45:48
area, they have these little
45:50
their bean soup. That's the soup, the corned beef.
45:54
Roll up things. Like I I'm talking about a radius. See,
45:58
I have no radius. Well, if I'm in the mood for that, I there's I might drive
46:01
to Melbourne. I might just get a cabbage roll.
46:05
Cabbage roll. It's that good, Jodi. Best Irish food I've had. It's really
46:10
good. Okay, good to know.
46:12
I'm so happy you went there, Frank. a crazy person. Mhm.
46:16
Like you're driving to Melbourne for Irish food. Hell yes I am.
46:20
Yes, I am. Well, if you're up in the Treasure
46:21
Coast, you got to go to Kyle G's one of his places.
46:25
That's my circuit. Some of my favorite Treasure Coasts are
46:28
are Kyle's. I like the Well, obviously the OG. Um I also like
46:34
the wine bar. It's a nice little If you want to get oyster pretty cool.
46:38
Yeah, I like I like we go to Riverwalk. Yeah, Riverwalk is nice. That's That
46:43
gives me Café... That doesn't surprise me. That gives me Café Chardonnay vibes.
46:46
Yeah, we go to the bar there. It's small. You're bigger than them.
46:49
Much bigger than them. They're so They're little, but they're great.
46:51
I like that. It's always good. Service is good.
46:53
Have you heard of or been to Giordi?
46:57
No. They opened about I want to say two
47:00
years ago. If Michelin was going to give a star in Martin County,
47:06
they should get it. Really? It's this it's in a little strip
47:09
uh mall center like on Indian Street and the
47:12
you wouldn't even really know it's there. And the first time I went in it's
47:16
family-owned. So the chef is is the dad and then the somm is the son, his wife is
47:22
the hostess and then uh the chef's wife is the like the maître d'. It's really
47:29
small. It's only probably like 20 tables. M.
47:32
And if I tell you, it's modern. I would I would call it modern Italian,
47:37
but talk about memorable. I mean, I had this kale orange truffle salad and with
47:45
some parmesan. It's so simple, but it was so good and so fresh. And I
47:50
like went home and tried and remade it, remake all that. And it's like it's
47:54
still like this, you know. And it's funny to that note of of said salad. I
47:58
always tell people nowadays it's cheaper especially during Flavor to out go out
48:03
to eat than it is to go to Publix. And for me personally, so I go to get this
48:07
salad, right? So I'm now I'm buying kale, I'm buying truffle, buying truffle
48:10
oil, I'm buying oranges, and I'm buying parmesan.
48:13
Guess how much the damn salad cost me to make at home.
48:16
Yeah. $32.
48:18
Yeah. The same salad,
48:20
right, is 14, 13, $12 in the restaurant.
48:24
Yeah. What's the name of the restaurant? Giordi.
48:26
Giordi. Giordi. Okay. G-I-O-R-D-I.
48:28
Yeah. Okay. Uh and they also have a really good It's
48:31
a like a a black pasta. Um Full bar or just wine?
48:36
Just wine. And salmon. Oh, so good. We'll have to
48:40
go. That sounds good. All right.
48:41
And they would do Flavor and but they usually travel every September to go
48:46
they just close and go to Italy for the the month.
48:49
And same with Parisian. Same thing. He goes over to visit his mom in France
48:54
that that month. So two two real good ones. But yeah, and
48:58
I'm happy to hear that's staying and that whole plaza is going to be
49:00
reimagined. They are going to stay. That's what I heard. I don't know, but
49:03
it's going to be Whole Foods. Restoration Hardware. Whole Foods.
49:07
Restoration Hardware Too. Total Wine.
49:09
Yeah. Yeah. That's a whole thing. Just keeps
49:12
evolving. So, yeah. Crazy. All right. So, game time.
49:18
I'm just going to go back and forth on a rapid fire. I'm just going to answer
49:21
fast. All right.
49:22
Easy. So, start on Frank. Favorite ingredient
49:26
to cook with? Gosh, that's a tough one. Tomatoes.
49:31
Jodi, one dish at Café Chardonnay that everyone has to try.
49:36
The pasta. What's your with the chunks of cheese in it? The It's like a rigatoni
49:41
with cheese. Mezzi, with kind of like mozzarella. Oh,
49:46
the fresh mozzarella is so good. I've had that.
49:50
Frank, wine or cocktail? Wine.
49:54
Red or white? White usually. Chardonnay.
49:58
Get down to the nitty-gritty. Silly silly question. Silly answers.
50:04
Jodi, sweet or savory? Uh, sweet.
50:09
Frank, one kitchen tool you can't live without.
50:14
My chef knife. Jodi.
50:18
Favorite Palm Beach County hidden gem?
50:24
Jeez, that's a tough one. I I guess I go with go back to like the Captain
50:29
Charlie's Original Reef Grill like that. It's just like a little hole in the wall, but
50:33
it's so good. And that tortizza is amazing.
50:37
I would I would definitely say that's a hidden gem.
50:39
Yeah. And especially in the location.
50:42
Frank, if you weren't a chef, what career would you have pursued? M gosh, I
50:48
was thinking of education cuz a teacher, athletic,
50:53
something in that field, but decided to be a chef. I'd love to cook.
50:57
Yeah, mentor. You're a good mentor with kids and stuff.
51:00
Mhm. I'm going to ask this to both of you.
51:03
What is one word your staff would use to describe you?
51:09
Depends on the day. You want to go first? Do you go?
51:15
I have to think. I I would say I'm very focused.
51:18
Yeah. Um gosh, I'm very ADD, so opposite.
51:25
You guys work well together. I've always got something else going on
51:28
that I have have them doing. So I think I'm both.
51:33
I'm a very I'm pretty ADD. But when I have my mind on something, like I'm just
51:37
like, no, we get it done. It's just it's
51:39
always I just I just have a lot of things to get done and we just get them
51:42
done. Like there's no hesitating. Yeah. Don't want it to be a project to just
51:46
hang out there. Just do it. It doesn't take
51:50
much effort. Just get it done. All right. And you both can answer the
51:53
last one. What's one food trend that you hope never goes away? I would say
51:58
comfort food. I hope never goes away. Yeah. And
52:03
All right. What's yours? Uh mine is similar to hers. Like slow
52:06
food cooking with local ingredients, Italian. And for me, Italian is like is
52:12
still my favorite. So, I don't want to see that trend go away to have other
52:15
options. So, Frank, interesting you said that you
52:19
would be a teacher because now you you have a project called Chefs Helping
52:24
Heroes. Yes. That's a fundraiser. There's an
52:26
organization in Jupiter. It's called Warriors Renewal Coalition. It's been
52:30
around for about 15 years and they sponsor wounded active duty service
52:36
members and their families and bring them down for a 5-day rest and retreat.
52:41
So, I got involved with it. Oh, second year they were open or they had been
52:46
around. Mary Hinton, she who's since passed away, was the mayor of of
52:51
Jupiter, she was a director and it was a family in in uh Jupiter
52:56
that sponsored it. And there were three homes, four homes they owned, but two on
52:59
the river on Riverside Drive that they donated for the space.
53:04
So, the families would come in and Mary said, "Can you come and help us with
53:08
some get us some food?" So we'd go one night and cook and they get the Boy
53:11
Scouts and other a lot of volunteers, all locals. And then she ran into my to
53:16
Gigi and my wife and said, "You know, we need to make money. Like we have to keep
53:20
this thing going. What are we going to do?" And she said, "Oh, well, [unclear],
53:22
Frank, get his friends and they'll just do an event for you." And so we ended up
53:26
up there. Eric did it with us the first year, a few other chefs that have moved
53:29
away. So we started it and we we call the event Chefs Helping Heroes. So it's a
53:33
fundraiser. We cook. Now we do stations. Um last couple years we've done it out
53:37
at the Lady Jean Ranch. Mhm. Lady Jean Ranch out in uh in Jupiter
53:41
Farms. Very nice.
53:42
Um but they they've brought over 1,200 service members down since they started.
53:48
And they they go that house was on the water. These houses where they are now
53:52
is not on the water, but they go and local people will pick them up and
53:55
they'll take them out on their boat. They'll take them to the mall. They'll
53:58
take them to a baseball game. They'll take them to whatever they want to do.
54:01
And it's it's all locally funded. And the people are we've we were at a
54:07
bunch of them and you know to see what they've gone through and the beginning
54:10
it was a lot it was you know more close to the wars Iraq and Afghanistan
54:15
and a lot of traumatic brain injuries and
54:18
just it's it's sad to see what they that the the veterans have to to go through
54:22
and just to get this four or five day like respite from their lives and and
54:27
hope they try to get them a lot of help with the the suicides and everything
54:32
else that's affecting him. So, it's really a great organization. So, so
54:36
we've raised over a million dollars over the years um for this for this
54:41
organization and we [unclear], our money goes directly to fund the weekends.
54:46
It doesn't it doesn't pay for any salaries, doesn't pay for, you know,
54:50
rent. It's just all that money goes directly to to fund the weekends.
54:53
That's awesome. Yeah, that's really And the rest chefs
54:56
volunteer everything and they don't ask for money for their food, their time,
55:00
anything. So all the money, ticket sales, all the auction sales, everything
55:03
gets gets donated to the organization. So it's it's great.
55:07
It's so nice. Mhm.
55:08
It's so refreshing. I met Mary years ago through her daughter Curry.
55:13
Curry. Okay. Who I still worked with Furry Friends,
55:17
right? And so did Curry at the time. And that's
55:20
how I met. Yeah, that's great family.
55:22
Yeah, there she's still involved with it.
55:25
So I think Curry's daughter and my son are
55:28
right around the same. uh she's a little bit older, I think, her daughter. But
55:32
yeah, so we always would talk about the the kids and the schools and I think
55:36
they were in the same school at one point actually, now that I'm thinking
55:39
about that. Yeah, we live in such a special place
55:43
and and it's so nice to have the community
55:47
we have like like yourselves and even the folks at the chamber and discover
55:54
the Palm Beaches and Martin Tourism Department like Ian over there and you
55:59
know Erica and then Milton over there and then Noel over there and I'm naming
56:03
these names and they're just it's so
56:07
so refresh. It's so it feel it's like Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast are
56:11
are large, right? And if you think about it, but it's like
56:16
it's really small like for me it's it's small. Like I
56:20
went out to eat the other day and actually somebody
56:24
was this is a weird thing for me. I was walking to the bathroom and they
56:28
said, "Hey, do you do the Forking Around podcast?" And I was like, "Yeah,
56:35
I do." So, she's a bartender and she stumbled upon it. I don't know through
56:41
how but and she said, "I I am so happy you're doing this. Like, this is you're
56:46
creating a space for our industry and we don't have that.
56:49
You have to help restaurants." Yeah. And and not only that, just kind of even
56:53
give a voice to the bartenders, to the dishwashers, to the
56:58
everybody, you know, to every bit because there's So, my son, he he's very
57:02
big in YouTube and he's got 700 subscribers on his channel. It's all
57:06
about video games, Super Mario. It's like whatever all the things.
57:10
And but he's he he got 45,000 views the other day. I'm like, I'm going to hire
57:14
you. But so it's funny cuz when I first launched it, he has now since watched
57:20
every episode. And I'm like, a so sweet. But he said to me, he goes, "I like it,
57:27
but it's a very niche market that you're targeting." This is my 14-year-old
57:32
smart. Mhm. And he I said, "Yes, but now I'm I'm
57:38
what who I'm really talking to who who I think our listeners are are restaurant
57:43
owners, chefs, food distributors, the dishwasher, as I said, the hostess, the
57:48
bartender I ran into at the bar, the diners." And when I presented it to him
57:52
like that, I'm like, "Think how many restaurants are in the country?"
57:55
Because, you know, you can listen to the show anywhere, anywhere in the world
57:59
really. and and it's and he went, "Oh, that's a
58:04
lot of people." Like, it is a lot. It's a lot. And it's
58:07
it's such a force. Yeah.
58:09
And I always say like when you're in the industry, like you're a lifer.
58:13
You're a lifer. You're a lifer. We already know that.
58:16
But we you and I, Jodi, are lifers in a different way. Now,
58:20
we're not in that day-to-day like Frank is.
58:22
We're still connected though. We're in it. We're still in it. We
58:25
always get out that you can't get out. joke about it like
58:29
I've been in the hotel business my whole career and then I try to get out and I'm
58:32
like oh oh my friends I love those people
58:35
they're just fun you know and to your point about niche there's like 4200
58:40
restaurants in Palm Beach alone starting back with your 20 comment on in
58:45
Palm Beach Gardens what does PGA Boulevard had now 120 at least
58:50
at least and then go into downtown at the gardens
58:54
there's got to be more than there's got to be
58:56
there's probably more than 120. I say 200, 300 almost even 2004 when they
59:01
started building downtown at the gardens. I think it was there and then
59:05
they started west of us they were building but it was 120 back then it
59:09
jumped from like 50 to 120 in two years.
59:12
Yeah. When they put up all those little small [unclear] strips. Yeah.
59:17
Yeah. So it's wild. It's wild.
59:19
Kudos to you for 40 years. Seriously, I wish I wish in 1986 Meta made those
59:25
glasses and Frank has been been wearing them for
59:28
the last 40 years, get a glimpse of
59:32
gosh, the technology. I I think about the rest when we had we've had one
59:36
restaurant since 2004. So, it's been a long time just having
59:40
one. But when we had those years, we had multiple restaurants. If we had the
59:45
technology then that we have now, it would have been so much easier. It could
59:49
be so much more efficient. And um just the way that we used to have to operate.
59:54
When I was a hostess, we had a book and we wrote in pencil. You have to write in
59:58
pencil because when somebody cancelled, you just erased them.
1:00:02
And we erased so much you'd have holes in the paper was
1:00:06
Mhm. Oh my gosh. Oh, what I would do to have
1:00:10
that book now just to look at it would be like for me a happy little keepsake.
1:00:15
Oh, and then don't forget smoking or non check the box there
1:00:19
in the same room. In the same room
1:00:21
just one side versus the other. That's still a thing in Europe which I
1:00:25
can't I can't you just can't get over it.
1:00:27
I didn't notice. Yeah. Still a thing. Huh?
1:00:32
Well, tide the tides are shifting and the next generation
1:00:37
they are not drinking. This is
1:00:40
a big trend right now too. That's a big trend
1:00:43
since prohibition. I just read that. We're at 58%
1:00:49
not drinking right now.
1:00:51
I think they're doing other things. Oh yeah, they are. They're doing like
1:00:54
well there's a few factors to this cuz I I
1:00:57
CBDs drinks and the stuff like that THC CBD
1:01:00
THC drinks microdosing mushrooms but I think what's
1:01:05
happening is they're they're trying they're it's a wellness generation.
1:01:08
So the mushrooms are healthy and coming out of the ground. The THC is healthy
1:01:13
and coming out of the ground. And I'm saying healthy. Take it as whatever way
1:01:15
you will. But it's interesting.
1:01:18
I don't think my son's going to drink. I mean, they're definitely not going to
1:01:22
smoke this next generation. Like, that's just not even a thing. You're just old
1:01:25
if you smoke, you know? So, it's like,
1:01:27
and beer consumption is way down. Beer is way down. Well, because people
1:01:31
are switching over to uh a lot of seltzers to the big seltzer
1:01:36
trend, right? It's funny you said that when I went to
1:01:38
that Michelin event. I that's what I I had a High Noon in a in a I don't really
1:01:43
love champagne. So, I had a High Noon in a champagne glass. Everyone I was
1:01:47
drinking champagne, but I'm drinking High Noon. Yeah, it's it's all right.
1:01:51
It's kind of Yeah. light.
1:01:53
It's light. Yes. And it's hot down here, too. So,
1:01:56
that's fresh in the afternoon or something. I'll do a white I'll do a
1:01:59
White Claw just cuz I'm like it's too hot to drink some heavy wine or
1:02:02
something, you know, or whatever. I mean, my what my drink of choice is
1:02:06
usually like a really good tequila on a rock.
1:02:08
Yes. Or or a very cold very cold slightly
1:02:14
dirty martini. And I don't even need the olives. I just
1:02:17
want the martini. What's yours go-to cocktail?
1:02:20
Mine is either a Cosmo or a Margarita with reposado. I like and Grand Marnier. Both
1:02:28
of those with Grand Marnier. I like the Grand Marnier very smart.
1:02:31
And yours is Chardonnay. Yeah, I'll drink I drink wine white and
1:02:34
red. What about the daytime liquor? If I do drink liquor, I'll drink a vod
1:02:38
something with vodka or rum if I have a good rum. But I don't drink that much.
1:02:42
For a bourbon guy. No, I don't like bourbon.
1:02:45
A lot of bourbon guys in our in our chapter though.
1:02:47
Yes, we do. and my family too, but I just I don't like them. Um, my
1:02:51
son-in-law is starting starting a collection of bourbons and he's has me
1:02:55
trying, but I take the tiniest taste in it. Still
1:02:58
I like Old Fashioned. Oh, yeah.
1:03:00
You know what I like is a rum. Every
1:03:02
I have I have a a rum old fashioned. Yeah.
1:03:04
Made with a, you know, really high-end rum, but but the same that that I do
1:03:08
like. Okay. Okay.
1:03:09
Every Christmas gift I've to give a president has been a high-end bottle of
1:03:13
bourbon. Really? From Nick to Kyle to That's awesome.
1:03:18
So, yeah. So, let's wrap this up with a few events that you have coming up. Um,
1:03:22
and if you could tell the folks where to find the information on the events.
1:03:26
Okay, great. So, obviously you can go to FRLA.org
1:03:30
and then there's a chapter drop down drop down button. You drop down to the
1:03:34
Palm Beach chapter or the Treasure Coast chapter. Got our golf tournament at
1:03:36
Breakers West coming up October 8th. We've got our Harvest Dines coming up
1:03:41
October 29th. That's in the Hutchinson Shores. And in January, we don't have a
1:03:46
date yet, but it's usually like the last Friday of January, we have EATS, which
1:03:50
it's like 17 restaurants. I think you came last year and you know, food
1:03:54
stations and it's just a lot of fun. Hilton in West Palm is just a farm to
1:03:58
table event and that's the same thing as the EATS. The EATS is the same as
1:04:02
Harvest Dines. They kind of mirror each other. Come to Harvest the Treasure
1:04:05
Coast. Yeah, both of them. Those are both really fun. We're looking for
1:04:08
restaurants that want to participate in any of those. We would welcome them and
1:04:11
Yeah. So cool. Very cool. and if you could direct
1:04:14
the folks to Chefs Helping Heroes. It's our next event will be in March of
1:04:20
this year, but the website is Warriors Renewal Coalition of Jupiter, so it's
1:04:25
easy to find and it has, you know, all their history and all all the events and
1:04:29
things that are happening with them. Well, and Café Chardonnay needs no
1:04:32
introduction, but check out Café Chardonnay as well. I mean, thank you
1:04:37
both for coming on and thanks for having us be a part of this awesome community.
1:04:41
Thanks for joining me on Forking Around with Flavor South Florida. If you're in
1:04:45
the industry, a business owner, or just want a better understanding of what goes
1:04:48
into keeping restaurants alive and thriving, make sure you subscribe and
1:04:52
share this episode with someone who should hear it. Flavor South Florida
1:04:55
takes place every September from the 1st through the 30th between Palm Beach
1:04:59
County and the Treasure Coast. You can find all the amazing dining deals and
1:05:03
participating restaurants at FlavorSouthFlorida.com. Until next time, keep
1:05:07
supporting local and keep forking around.