Jeff John at one of his restaurants, Warren American Whiskey Kitchen in Delray Beach. John, who lives in Boca Raton, is the 2026 recipient of the Gregory J. Malfitano Distinguished Alumni Award from Lynn University, where he earned two degrees. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Entrepreneur Jeff John recently received Lynn University’s Gregory J. Malfitano Distinguished Alumni Award. He earned a bachelor of science there in 2000, and an MBA in 2002.
“I was very, very surprised and very honored,” said John, who lives in Boca Raton. “Lynn holds a very good spot in my heart.
“Obviously, it’s the people who make everything happen in any business. There were a lot of great professors that I had: Dr. Ralph Norcio, Dr. Matthew Miller, Dr. John Pickering. They were all ex-CEOs, CFOs, CMOs of companies, so they really taught me about real life experiences, versus just what some author puts in a book.”
John, 49, must have been paying attention, because his business keeps growing. Under the umbrella of his company, Damn Good Hospitality Group, are Revolution Live (Fort Lauderdale, opened in 2004); America’s Backyard (Fort Lauderdale, 2008); Green Room (Fort Lauderdale, 2010), which morphed into the Stache Drinking Den (2013); Green Bar and Kitchen (Fort Lauderdale, 2018), and Warren American Whiskey Kitchen (Delray Beach in 2021 and Naples in 2023).
But John’s landing a business in hospitality happened by accident, he said. “I had a friend who invested in the Chili Pepper property in Fort Lauderdale, and I had a minor investment with his plan. Let’s just say the plan didn’t go as planned. Long story short, I ended up buying out all the other partners in 2002 and doing it myself.”
That grew into his first venues, Revolution Live, America’s Backyard and Stache.
Before any of this happened, John, who grew up in Barrington, northwest of Chicago, had no plans at all on the business/hospitality track. His passion was skiing.
“But my dad wanted me to go to college instead,” John said.
“I probably wasn’t going to [go to] school. A month before school started, one of my best friends, Tony Chiarito, and I and our families came to Florida. A high school counselor at Barrington High School had recommended Lynn University. Lynn was small, private and quaint with smaller classes and an excellence in sports. It seemed like a good fit.”
John said that Lynn’s dean, Paul Turner, “was the man. My friends and I did all the sports, the intramurals, and he was always the referee. Soccer, which is what I came down to play, didn’t work out. We ended up doing intramural flag football and basketball. And we beat FAU in the Boca Bowl.
“Put that in the article in big letters, ‘Lynn beat FAU in the original Boca Bowl.’ (Howard) Schnellenberger was the referee, if you could believe that. He was the coach that FAU hired. He won the championship with Miami, a very famous guy.”
Often, for Sunday brunch, he and his family eat at Warren.
For that venue, “We wrapped what my Uncle Warren loved around our whiskey collection and put a package together, and we used a great designer in Fort Lauderdale.”
Overall, his hospitality concepts are designed around “the experience,” he explained. “It starts with the first touch right at the door: the look, the feel of the room, the sound in the room. But also, obviously, it boils down to service and the quality of food and beverage.
“When you look at Warren, we serve all Australian wagyu, which is extremely high-end, and it’s a scratch kitchen. So, all the sauces, all the purees, salad dressings are made from scratch. And if you look at the beverage side, there’s 1,200-plus bottles of whiskey — some of the best in the world. Back in the day, I created relationships with whiskey companies and now that’s blossomed, allowing me to build a restaurant concept out of our ability to get some of these fine and rare bottles of whiskey and alcohol.”
The success is reflected in the number of customers.
“Just in Fort Lauderdale, I think we get a million to 2 million people through our venues in a year,” John said. “And then, at the restaurants, we do anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 people a week.
“That’s a lot of cocktails.”
It’s hard for John to choose his past favorite performers at Revolution Live. “There were hundreds,” he said. “Absolutely, Chris Cornell, A Tribe Called Quest, Kings of Leon, Smashing Pumpkins,” and, he added, he’s looking forward to Michael Franti on Sept. 22.
While John and his family — wife, Jackie, and kids, Jaxon, 6, and Jordyn, 4 — love to ski, golf has become his No. 1 sport. He’s also good in his own kitchen.
“I cook ribs really, really, really good. Crock-pot action. On the Fourth of July, I did a 101/2-pound pork with the bone in for my family. It was just to die for.”
Charities he’s been involved with include Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Fort Lauderdale, and the United Way in Fort Lauderdale. “After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy, I did a Friday event at our place, raised $85,000 and gave away 17 angel scholarships. We’re very proud of that,” he said.
— Christine Davis
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I was born and raised in Barrington, Illinois, a small town about 40 miles northwest of the city of Chicago. I went to North Barrington Elementary School, Barrington Middle School, Barrington High School and Lynn University for undergrad and graduate school. Growing up in Barrington was great; it was a small town, close families and community.
We were just close enough to Chicago where it was very easy to get in and out of the city on a regular basis, so I was fortunate to spend a lot of my childhood growing up in downtown Chicago as well as having a small-town experience. Growing up there mixed with the big town, I think was a great influence on me, allowing me to understand both markets, the diversity in people and how things worked.
Q. What professions have you worked in?
A. I have worked in real estate and development and building management in the city of Chicago [on internships during summers as an undergrad and grad student]. I have worked in hospitality ever since.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. You better love what you decide to do! When in doubt, go for it. Put yourself out there. You’ve got to want it.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Boca Raton?
A. My wife, Jackie. We were living in Fort Lauderdale and my wife and her family, Bernhard and Vikki Langer, are somewhat from Boca and live here. She wanted to move back. [Bernhard Langer is a two-time Masters golf champion.]
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?
A. Best parts about living in Boca: It’s safe, clean, quiet and quaint, beautiful beaches. In a way, similar to where I grew up, more of a suburb, I love it.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. Not reading one right now, not a big book reader. I read a lot about my industry (data reports), read the newspaper every day, try and read Scripture, daily devotional.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. Good question. Obviously, I love music. My favorite music to get inspired is mostly hard rock and old school trash/punk music like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Rancid, Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, to name a few. But on the same hand I have to say Tupac, he was the absolute best, very inspirational. Last, I would have to says The Doors, love them, inspirational for sure. As far as relaxing, what’s better than reggae and Bob Marley? I love reggae music and the culture. Over the years, we have produced many reggae shows and it’s always been great. I love listening to Bob Marley Radio when I’m playing golf. Also, I would add classic rock, I can always relax to classic rock.
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. Yes, I’ve had mentors in my life: my father, Dr. Edward John, my uncle Warren John, Dr. Norcio, and Dave Silver [previous director of operations at John’s company].
My dad and uncle, I would probably wrap it up into morals, values, work ethic and family. If I had any questions or if I didn’t understand a question or mathematical equation completely, Dr. Norcio helped me. Dave Silver taught me a lot about hospitality, the goods and bads.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. I’m really not a movie guy, but I would guess I would have to say, I always love Ray Liotta. The only other person is a guy by the name of Glen Plake [a Hall of Fame skier].
Q. What’s your favorite cause and why?
A. The military and our veterans. Without them, we would not be here today. We would not be able to live in the greatest country in the world, and we would not have our freedom. The world would not be what it is today without the service of American men and women. They along with their families sacrificed for all of us, and they deserve to be honored as heroes every single day. They should be entitled to the best of the best, starting with healthcare, the best professional services, the best financial access.
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