October of this year, actually... this starts all the way back to when the original Plaza closed up last December.
Those of you who know anything about The Plaza, know that is was tiny and struggling. My family tackled something it had never done before. It's from its birth on Friday, August 13th 2007 to its death on in December it was always an idea in the air. Candy shop, espresso bar, acoustic music, junk shop, hell it was all of that. But that is why it failed. Because we did not even know what it was. we made many friends from our experiences and we learned about licenses, all the rules of business, and a glimpse into what people want. I do not regret that place from happening.
A year or so has gone by since then, and my family is now onto a new venture.
The restaurant business never knew what was coming.
This past October we reluctantly took over the small restaurant that is in the front. It was called Not Just Breakfast and had been there for nine years already. So their regulars were/are creatures of habit; going everyday or just on specific days. Not even for the food, but for the social aspect. My family and I had worked with Not Just Breakfast for two weeks before they closed and let me just say this, two weeks is not enough to understand an entire business.
It took us a week, three dumpsters filled to the brim, a few gallons of paint, no sleep, the chance to be chemically poisoned from all the cleaners used, and other extreme measures to clean this place up. I have never scrubbed so much grime in my entire life, but that's beside the point. The point is that it's clean, fresh, and ready to rock and roll.
Thanksgiving is the only day off we have had so far, otherwise we are open every single day from 7:00am-4pm. That may change soon to six days a week and open from 6-3. But that's later on, at the moment we are trying to get the good name back to this building and let everyone know that it is cleaner, faster, more amazing than it has ever been before. As a result, my brother and I go to school at night, and work at Publix when we don't have school. We're all trying our hardest to balance our schedules and still have some form of a social life.
Now keep in mind, no one in my family has ever run a restaurant before, so we may be slow but the food is amazing. We're fast learners so give us some time to learn how to get the food out as fast as possible and as delicious as ever. We take criticism very easily and we love suggestions! So let us know of anything and everything that can make us even better than we already are.
We are looking for some personalized and amazing art to be hung on our bare walls, I'm calling out to any and all artists who want to sell their art and show it off everyday. For now, we are charging ZERO commission for your art to be sold here. So take advantage of it!
Speaking of art, I'm looking for coffee shop musicians who would be interested in performing in the mornings (especially on Sundays) for tips and a meal. Trust me when I say you will get tips! In the future We will look for night music, but for now it's only mornings.
I'll be updating as much as possible. It should be easy as there is WiFi here so I can work from the restaurant. Woo hoo technology!
Check back frequently! And if you still have any questions, just ask!
-The Plaza Restaurant
Direct: (727)-378-5843
Web site: www.ThePlazaRESTAURANTOnline.com
E-mail: ThePlazaRestaurant@gmail.com
In the holiday spirit of things, I must admit. I am glad I get to spend time with my family every day at The Plaza. Though sometimes we may get mad at each other and fight, in the end we are together and we are actually making this work.
Happy Holidays everyone.