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Florida Restaurants
Feeding Frenzy
A crop of fast-casual restaurants is finding fertile ground in Florida.
Beyond Fast-Casuals
Outside the fast-casual segment, a variety of Florida-based sit-down chains is also expanding.
? No, fondue didn't disappear after the 1970s. Quietly, The Melting Pot chain has grown since its founding in 1975 to a 103-store chain, all but four owned by franchisees. In 1985, brothers Michael, Mark and Robert Johnston purchased all rights to the brand. Mark serves as CEO; Robert as COO; and Mike as chairman. The company, headquartered in Tampa, expects to open 25 restaurants this year. Fast-growing markets outside Florida include California, Boston, New York and Connecticut.
? Bradenton-based First Watch Restaurants has 60 restaurants in eight states, with 2005 sales of $58 million. Named for the first shift aboard a ship, First Watch caters to the breakfast crowd with a health-oriented menu and is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. only. Founder and CEO Ken Pendery plans to add 15 restaurants this year, then 25 a year until 2009.
? A group of investors headed by Russell Latimer, who built the Melons chain, is banking on takeout barbecue as the next craze. The group, based in Clearwater, now operates four Rack Shack BBQs in the Tampa Bay area and plans to add one a month for the next year. Partners include barbecue chef Paul Kirk and barbecue restaurant giant Gary Berbiglia.
? When Chris Karakosta founded the first Mel's Diner in San Carlos in 1989, he wanted it to look and feel like his family's Chicago-based diner, Dimitri's. Today, the 10-store restaurant chain, which serves comfort food, is a $25-million-per-year company operating from Bonita Springs. The company plans new outlets in Sarasota, Naples and Cape Coral in the next eight months and could begin franchising in 2007.
