07 Dec

NYC restaurant barons ride Florida pandemic wave to open new spots outside Miami

New York restaurateurs who decamped to Miami during the pandemic are expanding their empires to Florida’s other coastal cities – and some of the biggest names have even made the Sunshine State their permanent home.

The recent wave of openings in moneyed resort towns like Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Pompano Beach come as Florida angles to become a new financial hub with firms including Millennium Management, Citadel, Elliott Management and Sanders Capital opening offices.

Many Big Apple eateries have followed. But the glut of Miami restaurants and high prices have them spreading their wings beyond South Beach, Brickell and the Design District.

El Camino Mexican soul food and tequila bar restaurants – founded by native New York transplants to South Florida Brandon Belluscio, Brian Albe and Anthony Pizzo — opened a 300-seat, 8,500 square-foot restaurant at The Square West Palm Beach in July. That’s in addition to their outposts in Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It plans to open another branch in Boca Raton next year as it banks on the high-end clientele.

“It’s really the best of both worlds for them and restaurateurs are benefiting from the influx of new residents and New York professionals moving here with disposable income,” said Francis Lake, VP of operations for Modern Restaurant Group’s El Camino Restaurants.

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Source:NYpost.com
By:Jennifer Gould