Business Observer •

Chicken sandwich-making sisters go from porch to nearly $1 million business

Key takeaway: A business plan wasn't the first step for The Barnyard, and it turned out to be the right move for the business which is now through its second year with $400,000 in revenue. Core challenge: Learning how to fry chicken and keep the breading on through the process. What's next: As the restaurant prepares to double in revenue next year, the owners, two sisters, are considering adding a food truck. On a whim in August 2019, Ciliana Pluviose and Gladys Jean started making chicken sand
Business Observer •

Chef returns home to Tampa with modern Chinese concept

Key takeaway: With 25 years of experience, Chef Richard Hales has returned home with what he believes is his best restaurant yet. What's next: The restaurant is going through a slow rollout eventually opening the outside picnic area and then expanding hours to include lunch and brunch. The last couple of years haven’t been the easiest for Chef Richard Hales. The list of uncertainties include COVID-19, a stint with cancer and now labor shortages. But with a new Hales Blackbrick location in Tamp
Business Observer •

Bradenton coffee company Banyan Coffee Co. prioritizes staying approachable |

When Josh and Abbey Schmitt began roasting coffee beans in 2013 in their garage in Oregon, they had no idea their hobby would turn into a business. Back then, Josh was roasting coffee beans using a popcorn popper for friends and family. A year or two later, the couple moved to Bradenton, Abbey’s hometown. Diving into their hobby, they began to sell bags of roasted coffee beans at the Bradenton Farmers’ Market. At first, it was only a few bags. Then it started to grow. “It caught me by surprise
Business Observer •

The restaurant industry faces disruption in the current model with a new concept — ghost kitchens |

Forget what you know about restaurants. No longer are the days of sitting down at a restaurant. That model has been left behind. That was so 2019. Enter the new era of kitchens. It goes by a lot of different names, which vary slightly in meaning. One common theme? These are not typical brick and mortar restaurants. Enter virtual, ghost, shared, dark and cloud kitchens. That's the new thing. "This is a concept that began before the pandemic but really developed during,” says Geoff Luebkemann, s
Business Observer •

Restaurant family shares their secret: Failure is not an option |

Key Takeaway: The Caragiulo family business started as pipeline dream to own a quaint New York-style pizzeria in Sarasota with a couple of tables out front. More than three decades later, it's a full-service restaurant company representative of the Caragiulos' overall strategy: Go with it and learn along the way. Core Challenge: Dealing with staffing shortages while opening a new restaurant. What's Next: A second fish camp restaurant is coming in Lakewood Ranch, joining the original in Sarasota.
Business Observer •

Restaurants turn to automation to fill positions — and increase productivity |

Choosing a robot over a human has long been tough pill to swallow for many restaurant owners and operators. For good reason: it's a service-first, people-centric business. But several popular restaurant chains in the region, in addition to national fast-food chains, are jumping into the world of bots. If not to replace human employees, to lend a big (robotic) hand in the current labor crisis, and for some, maybe beyond. It helps, of course, that a comparison in salary and benefits between man a
Business Observer •

Bank executive brings lobster tails to the table

Executive: Gerri Moll. Southwest Florida market executive for Bank of America Private Bank, as well as bank president for the Southwest Florida region. Throughout her 36-year career at Bank of America, Moll, a Naples resident, has held several senior leadership roles and provided leadership for the transition team through two mergers. A licensed scuba diver, Moll been in and around water since she was a baby. But she married in to lobstering. “My husband and his brothers had been doing it for a
Business Observer •

Sarasota dog bar announces open date

If you heard a collective howl on Friday, it was probably because Boo’s Ice House & Dog Bar finally has an opening date set for later this month. Contrary to the song “Who let the dogs out?” Boo’s will let the dogs in May 22. Not every dog will be invited in, though; just those who are up-to-date on their vaccinations. The dog bar, which was named after the owners’ rescue dog, Boo, is on 10th Street in the Rosemary District, just north of downtown Sarasota, in a building that used to play the