David Gensman, owner of the the Green Owl, posing
with his 7-year-old daughter, Samantha, said he has worked
in the Delray Green Owl since 1983. He took it over in 1995.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Rich Pollack
Dave Gensman has heard the rumors.
The owner of the iconic, 34-year-old Green Owl restaurant in downtown Delray Beach since 1995, Gensman has heard people say that the Green Owl will be gone by April of next year when its current lease expires.
He’s also heard that the popular gathering place where you can still get a full breakfast and substantial lunch for reasonable prices would soon become a Victoria’s Secret store.
The reality is that Gensman doesn’t really know what the future will hold for the Green Owl. But he knows that if he has something to say about it, there will be a Green Owl somewhere in Delray Beach.
“Even if we have to move because we can’t afford the rents, we’ll do our best to be back in Delray Beach one way or another,” Gensman said.
In April, after the building at the southwest corner of Southeast Fourth Avenue and Atlantic Avenue was sold, Gensman signed a one-year lease at a rent he says is significantly higher than the previous rate.
He was offered a two-year lease but says he decided to just sign a one-year agreement to see if the restaurant could stay profitable at the new rent rate.
Gensman said so far the restaurant is doing OK but that rising food costs, in addition to increased rent, are presenting challenges. He’s still uncertain whether he will be financially able to sign a new lease next April, even if the rent remains the same.
Opened in 1981, the Green Owl has evolved over the years as a favorite for everyone from city leaders and business owners to families and out-of-town visitors.
Stop in for breakfast and chances are you’ll run into someone you know sitting at the counter or at one of the small tables, maybe even completing a business deal.
“We’re definitely a staple of downtown,” Gensman said. “We offer a good lunch and breakfast. But if you’re looking for parsley on your plate, you’re in the wrong place.”
For now, Gensman continues to run the Green Owl on Atlantic Avenue as well as the Green Owl III, which opened last July on Le Chalet Boulevard west of Military Trail in Boynton Beach.
Gensman opened a Green Owl restaurant on Woolbright Road in Boynton in 2008, but sold it in 2012.
Comments