'No one goes out to eat to have a bad time': Brevard restaurants regroup after pandemic
Dining out should be fun.
That's John Horne's mantra.
Horn owns Anna Maria Oyster Bars in Bradenton and Cafe L'Europe in Sarasota and serves as "chief executive oyster" for Oysters Rock Hospitality in Bradenton. He's also chairman of the Board of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
"No one goes out to eat to have a bad time," he said Thursday at a meeting of the Space Coast Chapter of the FRLA held at Yellow Dog Cafe in Malabar. "All we have to do is let them have fun."
Of course, with more than 40 years in the restaurant business, he knows it's not that simple. That's why organizations such as the FRLA are important.
"Everybody spends so much time concentrating on what's happing inside their four walls," he said of his fellow restaurateurs. The statewide organization helps restaurant owners keep up with what's happening outside those four walls, especially in Tallahassee. The meeting marked the first time the group has gotten together since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local lawmakers eat in local restaurants. Restaurant owners have fed their state senators and representatives for years. Horne encouraged those at the meeting to leverage those relationships and make a phone call when legislation affecting restaurants or hotels is being considered.
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Biggest issues facing restaurants this year
Restaurant owners face some hurdles in the coming year.
Insurance. "Rates are going up astronomically," said Sara Malmstrom, owner of Sage Bistro in Cape Canaveral and chair of the Space Coast FRLA chapter. She cited one local restaurant owner who is paying $90,000 a year, not including hurricane coverage.
Labor. Finding employees isn't easy in the current labor market, and as minimum wage rises, some restaurants are struggling to keep up with payroll.
Inflation. "The elasticity in our menus is so much tighter than at the grocery store," Horne said. Shoppers will complain when their grocery bill goes from $200 to $300, but they'll continue to go to that store. If a restaurant raises the cost of a burger from $12 to $15, guests don't come back. "Inflation for restaurant produce was up 13% last quarter," he said.
This is where the FRLA can help, by paying attention to what is happening in Tallahassee and elsewhere.
The good news for hospitality
But it's not all bad news for the hospitality industry.
The supply chain isn't back to pre-pandemic efficiency, but it's leveling out.
Horne is excited about bringing restaurant and hotel owners together again to work toward common goals. As the hospitality comes out of survival mode, business is meeting and exceeding what it was before 2020.
"We're so incredibly busy," said Malmstrom. "The cruise terminals, so many launches ... prior to COVID, we would have slow months during the summer."
Not anymore. July was one of Sage Bistro's biggest months ever, and the restaurant stays busy all year.
"People are so hungry to come to Florida," she said. "Locals want to come out to eat."
Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Insurance costs, labor, inflation among issues restaurants face now
