Granger’s Grille in Delray Beach closed its doors after more than 30 years when the building was sold to developers who plan to put an office building there. Photos provided
By Jan Norris
It’s been a tough year for some longtime restaurants, as well as some newer ones.
In mid-May, Granger’s Grille, a local favorite for more than 30 years in Delray Beach, closed unexpectedly. Writing to customers about the impending closing, owner Marino Pagones said, “This is not how we imagined things ending.”
The restaurant moved from north of Atlantic Avenue to its spot on south U.S. 1 between Southeast Eighth and Ninth streets about nine years ago.
The mom-and-pop eatery shuttered after its building was sold to developers who plan to put an office building there.
“As a family-owned business this decision was not made by will but by circumstance,” the owner said.
Fans lit up the local social media pages. And in an online forum, the owner hinted the restaurant may reopen elsewhere.
On Atlantic Avenue, another local favorite, J&J Seafood Bar and Grill, announced its closing in June. But only days afterward, it was announced the restaurant would stay open, thanks to a vendor who stepped in to buy it.
The 26-year-old restaurant was a destination for parties, special occasion meals and holidays.
Owners John and Tina Hutchinson didn’t give a specific reason for closing.
Linen vendor Anthony DeSabato and his spouse, Christine, took over without closing the doors, keeping staff and menu the same to start out.
DeSabato said he owned delis in New York about 12 years ago.
As for plans, he said, “We’ll do a nice happy hour. They were closed on Sundays and Mondays; we may open for a boozy brunch Sunday.”
No renovations are planned, he said. “Just minor painting and touch-ups. We like the antique-y look of it.”
He said they want to keep it a “mom and pop” spot. “We’ll do some more modernizing, but it’s a small place, and it’s got a good following.
“I’ve learned business is like a marriage. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. Just keep it simple. We’re selling booze and fish.”
A reiteration of a popular Lake Worth Beach restaurant, Not So Bizaare Ave Cafe, also closed in May after less than a year.
Owner Lisa Mercado said it was a combination of one thing after another: a nearby shooting, an election that she says worried everyone, tariffs, and people watching their money.
“We were counting on having a good season to stack up funds through the season, and though we had some amazing nights, it just wasn’t enough to cover us for summer,” she said.
The landlord was great, she said. “He understood the restaurant biz.”
Mercado didn’t want to be indebted or plead for her lease. “It just wasn’t working. You can only work so long for free.”
Also, Todd English’s Lula’s in Lake Worth Beach has closed after less than nine months.
The James Beard award-winning chef opened the Mediterranean eatery in October 2024 to fanfare on Lake Avenue; it never gained footing.
Word is that owner of Lantana’s Ravish, Alexandra Dupuis, will open a restaurant in Lula’s space. (Mercado sold Ravish to Dupuis two years ago.)
Lisabet Summa has seen this downturn in the hospitality industry in other years. As director of culinary operations for Big Time Restaurant Group, which is behind Elisabetta’s on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach and in West Palm Beach, as well as Louie Bossi’s in Boca Raton, she has weathered the years around the pandemic and economic uncertainty.
This time, she said, there may have been too many restaurateurs from out of state coming in and trying to “strike while the iron was hot,” without understanding Florida’s market and seasonality.
“I think the growth of restaurants was organic until after the pandemic,” she said. “I think a lot of people coming from out of town don’t get the highs and lows of season.”
They may have seen some peaks and dips in the past few years, but “nothing like the higher highs and lower lows” that took place before the pandemic.
“What we’re seeing is a return to normal for us,” Summa said. A lot of people are “falling prey to operating costs that may not have been in their financial plan.”
She said she “wouldn’t want to be a new operator today.”
Gary Rack, owner of Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen and Rack’s Fish House and Oyster Bar in Delray Beach, agrees.
“It’s hard out there,” he said. “Rents are astronomical. We see one-bedroom places going for $2,000.”
He added, “I think people are watching what they spend. Let’s say the customer went out two to three times a week in the past; now, maybe two to three times a month.”
Rack says his playbook of solid, quality food, with a variety at moderate prices, works well for him.
“People can come from the beach dressed casually, have bar bites and drinks, or dress up and have entrees with wines inside. Farmhouse makes it because it doesn’t have that $60 or $70 entree.”
In summer, he implements his half-price menu at all his restaurants from 3 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Nearly all items on the menu are half off.
“We did it to support our locals, and our serving staff. We’re crowded and it’s a good vibe of people,” Rack said.
Newly opened Roka Hula on Atlantic Avenue in Delray has a Polynesian theme and offers entrees with dumplings, above, and shrimp, below.
Atlantic Avenue restaurant capitalizes on Asian trend
Newly opened Roka Hula on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is capitalizing on a trend of modern Asian restaurants with tiki bars and Polynesian touches.
This one’s from the True Grit Hospitality group, which is behind the Mexican Calaveras Cantina in Boca Raton and Jupiter, as well as the Cajun-Creole Voodoo Bayou in Palm Beach Gardens.
Exotic tropical drinks in showy goblets and mugs, over-the-top tiki decor, and “provocative” and interactive dishes carry the theme throughout.
The menu shows dishes such as Korean short rib gyoza, pork soup dumplings, a Japanese A5 wagyu cooked on hot stone, and prawn and lobster curry noodles. Lists for bao buns, nigiri, sashimi and rolls fill out the menu.
Roka Hula, 270 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. rokahula.com/delray-beach
Taco eatery opens third PBC location in Delray
Talkin’ Tacos, a halal taco spot, has come to east Delray Beach on Linton Boulevard.
A sensation for its birria tacos and bold seasoning, the taco chain comes from two Miami friends who began a taco truck during the pandemic.It became so popular, they decided to open a shop. The chain now has several locations in several states; this one is the third in Palm Beach County.
Talkin’ Tacos, 551 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach. talkintacos.net
Pizza franchise expands to new site in Delray Beach
The Ah-Beetz New Haven Pizza franchise continues to expand in the county, with a new flagship added in Delray Beach by founder Nicholas Laudano. The 3,300-square-foot space at 1732 S. Federal Highway gives diners a choice of indoor or patio seating, as well as takeout. New Haven, Connecticut, claims this style of coal-fired, thin crust pizza, famous for the white clam pizza. Salads, bowls and appetizers also are on the menu. “Ah-beetz” is the colloquial pronunciation of the pies.
On the mend
Louie Bossi’s in Boca Raton is still on the mend from a fire. Work is progressing albeit slowly, Bossi said, as the construction team awaits permits for the rebuild.
Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com.
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