Sprinkle in financial risk. Add a dash of long hours. A pinch of economic uncertainty. Stir in the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s the recipe that has been simmering since Oct. 21 when Frank Cecere and his three sons opened Portside Breakfast & Lunch restaurant in suburban West Palm Beach. Each adds their own ingredients in the all-consuming adventure.

“Everything lives and dies by you. It’s like getting married, having a kid, moving — all at the same time. Starting a business is not for everybody,” said Frankie, 36, the oldest of the brothers.

The family — they are equal partners — invested about $200,000 to refurbish and equip the 80-seat Portside at the southeast corner of Okeechobee Boulevard and Sansburys Way.

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Their mother is a bridge tender at Cato’s Bridge in Jupiter.

Family members know they have a tough road. One of three new restaurants won’t survive the first year, says the National Restaurant Association. The pandemic is still keeping people at home. Finding and keeping competent employees is a challenge.

Portside serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week

That doesn’t diminish the Ceceres' confidence in the 12-employee eatery with the nautical decor. Portside serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week.

Growing up in Lyndhurst, N.J., Frank Cecere, 69, always wanted to open a family restaurant. His parents were both fantastic cooks. After a stint in a deli in Hilton Head, S.C., and other larger restaurants, Cecere moved to Palm Beach County in 1986.

He opened Frankie’s Restaurant at Forest Hill Boulevard and Congress Avenue for about three years. He then went into the construction business. ”A family restaurant was something we talked about opening,” he said.

That jack-of-all-trades versatility is a necessary attribute for all entrepreneurs, said Frankie. Before opening Portside with his family, Frankie had a pool cleaning business. He was a barber. He sold sneakers.

When not working at Portside, Matt, 34, and Phillip, 32, operate the family’s Jupiter carpentry business, Golden Touch Installation Services. Their aunt Susan does the baking.

“You have to have no fear. You always have to be willing to gamble on yourself,” Frankie said.

Seated around a table at Portside on a recent morning, the family said working together seven days a week has its ups and downs. “My boys were raised to be strong men. I’m not saying it backfired. But we’ve had some, ah, interesting conversations,” said Frank. His sons nodded.

Wedged between a Public Storage business and Bimini Twist restaurant, Portside on weekdays serves about 150 covers — full meals to one person — and 250 daily on weekends. Family members do their best to make customers and employees feel at home, they said.

The Ceceres are closing to have Thanksgiving at the restaurant. Family members and employees — as well as Dorinda Beever, a customer — are invited.

Beever, a West Palm Beach resident, eats at Portside a couple of times a week. The friendly service and the biscuits and gravy bring her back.

“I’m from Indiana. I know my biscuits and gravy. They make them great there,” Beever said.

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Portside Breakfast & Lunch restaurant

Where: 8480 Okeechobee Blvd., Suite 7, West Palm Beach; 561-619-7172

Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

More information: Check Portside's website.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Portside Breakfast & Lunch: Family opens new restaurant in West Palm