This contest started on 1/27/23. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $25 Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $25 Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar Gift Card for one of you guys!

The game- the first 25” reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $25 Gift Card is good at Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar, 4636 Jog Road, Greenacres, Florida 33476, (561) 964-0900.

Check eagle-grill.com for menu/prices/info.

Posted on May 6th, 2016.

***** Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar, 4636 Jog Road, Greenacres, Florida 33467, (561) 964-0900.

For our purposes Jeff Eats is gonna call the Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar in Greenacres “an out of sight, out of mind” terrific sports bar!

I first told you guys about the Eagle Grill on June 30, 2013- and for some unknown-reason Jeff Eats and for that matter Mrs. Jeff Eats literally “forgot” that the joint even existed! Just between you guys and Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and I have eaten there a couple of times since June 30, 2013- that said, based on last night’s dinner of crab cakes/bbq babyback ribs we haven’t been going (back) there enough! The food absolutely killed!

Let me wrap this package up for you guys, if you live or work anywhere near the Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar- then you gotta give it a shot! It’s really that good!

Posted on June 30th, 2013.

***** Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar, 4636 Jog Road, Greenacres, Florida 33467, (561) 964-0900.

Got something really-good for you guys…Eagle Grill & Oyster Bar in Greenacres. For our purposes, we’re gonna call this restaurant an “American Style”-“Sports Bar” joint.

Let me start by saying, that Jeff Eats absolutely loved the Eagle Grill.

For what it’s worth…last night, Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats and our friends Eric and Ellen (Jeff Eats knows Ellen since he was 13 and she was 12) tried the Eagle Grill which had been recommended the night before by our mutual friends Norman and Nancy who live in Delray Beach…confused?

Anyway…

The four of us (that’s Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats, Eric and Ellen who Jeff Eats knows since he was 13) drove “up” to Greenacres from Boca Raton and found the Eagle Grill in a small shopping center…from the outside, in a million years—the four of us never figured that inside- it was a cool looking neighborhood wood bar/booths/table seating joint with loads of flat screen tvs. By the way, when we got there around 8:15pm–every seat (I’m thinking 125 give or take) in the house including those at the bar were taken—it took us about 10 minutes to catch a booth.

Eagle’s menu has tons of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, burgers, wings, pastas, meat/chicken/seafood entrees, desserts…Just so you know, the joint is heavy on the seafood-side of the ledger, but don’t-worry, there is plenty of non fish stuff, so every-one in your party is gonna find what to eat. At this stage of the game, you can check www.eagle-grill.com for menu/prices/photos.

Now listen closely…Eagle Grill’s food isn’t just good, it is outrageously good. Eric ordered the crab cake entrée ($25-2 crab cakes/2 sides) and scarfed those suckers down as if he was Mahata Gandhi breaking a fast. Jeff Eats did a rack of baby-back ribs ($16- two sides), Mrs. Jeff Eats did blackened mahi ($12.50- two sides), Ellen did a shrimp po boy ($8.50 fried shrimp/lettuce/tomato/mayo and one side), the table shared steamed mussels fra diavlo ($8.50) and gumbo ($10). Like I said, 4 seconds ago…the food was outrageously good.

Let me wrap this story up…

Terrific food—super pleasant service—very reasonable prices (for example–from 3pm-9pm the Eagle offers 9 dinners priced at $9.99 a piece).

In baseball parlance, the Eagle Grill is a grand-slam.

For you guys who need a “drop” of clarification. Ellen is married to Eric, Jeff knows Ellen since he was 13 and she was 12, Norman is married to Nancy and vice versa, Nancy and Norman use to live in Boca Raton but now live in Delray Beach but are thinking of moving to Manhattan but aren’t sure on that just yet, the only tv sets currently being manufactured are flat screen tvs so it’s no longer necessary to call them flat screen tvs-just tvs will suffice and a po boy is the “same” as a sub, hero, blimpie, grinder, hoagie…and your tee shirt/shorts ensembles will work beautifully at the Eagle.

Eagle Grill is open Sunday noon-9:30pm, Monday-Thursday 11am-9:30pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-10:30pm.

Finally, if Norman and Nancy decide to move to Manhattan, Jeff Eats will update you guys.

Originally posted on November 30th, 2022.

* DAVID CLARK’S- ALL ABOUT JOEL: Billy Joel Tribute.

Definitely one of the best Billy Joel tribute acts in the business!

DON’T MISS THIS SHOW!

The Skinny…

DAVID CLARK’S- ALL ABOUT JOEL: Billy Joel Tribute

Saturday, January 28th, 2023 (7pm & 9pm)

Boca Black Box Center for the Arts
8221 Glades Road #10 Boca Raton, FL 33434
Phone: 561.483.9036
Box Office: (Tickets: $46.50-$61.50) bocablackbox.com goldstar.com (discount tickets)

From bocablackbox.com

DAVID CLARK’S- ALL ABOUT JOEL: Billy Joel Tribute

Formerly known as Songs In The Attic: The Billy Joel Tribute

David Clark’s “ALL ABOUT JOEL” is a musical tribute conceived and presented with a tremendous amount of detail by Long Island veteran singer/piano player David Clark. He continues to gain attention and popularity across the country with stunningly accurate piano playing, lead vocals, and an eerily similar stage look to the Piano Man himself while engaging the audience with wit and humor. Having been a part of the Long Island & NY area music scene since 1985, he has carved out a solid reputation as a piano player, singer, and performer at countless private events and concerts around the northeastern tri-state area and beyond.

All of these experiences have led him to the present day – staying connected to his piano/vocal roots and his childhood hero by presenting a tribute to the music he loves, from the very singer/songwriter/performer who inspired and motivated him at the age of 10 years old to pursue a life of music…BILLY JOEL!

This contest started on 1/27/23. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $20 Vesuvio Pizza & Panini Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $20 Vesuvio Pizza & Panini Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 20 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $20 Gift Card is good at Vesuvio Pizza & Panini, 13081 Southwest 88th Street, Miami, Florida 33186, (305) 385-4441.

You can check menu/prices/location/info at vesuviomiami.com.

Posted on March 1st, 2017

***** Vesuvio Pizza & Panini, 13081 Southwest 88th Street, Miami, Florida 33186, (305) 385-4441.

Got a real good “take-out” pizza joint for you guys, Vesuvio Pizza & Panini in Miami.

Real simple concept going on at Vesuvio, hole in the wall/ order-pickup at the counter/ appetizers- salads- sandwiches-wraps -pizzas- pastas- calzones- stromboli- entrees/ if you insist on “dining” there, handful of indoor counter seats- handful of outdoor benches.

Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeffs recently “benched it” and I gotta tell you that Vesuvio’s cheese pepperoni pizza, garlic rolls and philly cheese steak sub absolutely killed! For the interested- the pizza was thin/crispy/sweet sauce/loads of cheese & pepperoni, the garlic knots were soft and hot with the perfect combo of oil and garlic and the steak/ onions/ peppers/ cheese sub was perfectly seasoned and housed in a real nice soft roll! By the way, Jeff Eats knows what he likes and what he doesn’t like- I’m also smart enough to know that you guys got your own “taste”- so we may agree or disagree on what’s good and what sucks! The point, I’ll tell you guys what I think, but I know that you also know- and that this Jeff Eats’ “gig” is a two sided street!

Like I said 3 seconds ago, Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats really enjoyed Vesuvio Pizza & Panini and if you know anything about cheese pepperoni pizza, garlic knots and philly cheese steak subs- you will too!😋

You can check menu/prices/info at vesuviomiami.com.

Vesuvio Pizza & Panini is open Tuesday-Thursday 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM, Friday-Saturday
11:00 AM – 11:00 PM, Sunday noon- 10:00 PM, closed Monday.

This contest started on 1/26/23. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $10 Five Guys Burgers and Fries Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $10 Five Guys Burgers and Fries Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 10 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $10 Gift Card is good at any Five Guys Burgers and Fries location (for locations, menu, info- fiveguys.com

* Exclusive Online Presale: Stars Of The Sixties.

Tickets Just Went On Sale:

$49.93 – $81.88

poprockdoowopp.com (Presale Code: STARS)
bbmannpah.com (Presale Code: STARS)

Terrific lineup! Don’t miss this show!

Stars Of The Sixties

Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 7:30 PM

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
13350 FSW Pkwy
Fort Myers FL 33919
Phone: (239) 481-4849

TICKETS:

$49.93 – $81.88

poprockdoowopp.com (Presale Code: STARS)
bbmannpah.com (Presale Code: STARS)

Ticket Sales To General Public: January 27th, 2023 (10am)

From bbmannpah.com:

March 30th, 2023

Stars of the 60s return to Fort Myers – it’s like THREE CONCERTS in one night with an all-new line-up of hit-makers from the greatest era of rock and roll! In the entire history of rock and roll, only 9 bands have charted more hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 than The Grass Roots. The band charted 29 singles, 13 of which went gold. Hits include “Midnight Confessions”, “Temptation Eyes”, “I’d Wait a Million Years”, “Live for Today”, and dozens more. Joining them will be The Association who have earned six gold and three platinum discs along with seven Grammy Award nominations. Hits include “Windy”, “Along Comes Mary”, and “Everything That Touches You”. Plus. The Cyrkle, (“Red Rubber Ball,” “Turn Down Day”) reunited with their original lead singer after 50 years. Don’t miss this one-night-only reunion.

* Bobby Nathan Band.

A recent e-mail received by jeffeats.com.

Jeff,
We need a really good local BAND that can play 50’s-80’s hits for our 50th Wedding Anniversary Party.
We will be having something like 150 friends and relatives for the party at our country club in Delray Beach in June, 2023.
We’d really appreciate your help!
Thanks,
Marc & Jane Gottlieb

_______________________

Marc & Jane,

Congratulations,

Check-out the Bobby Nathan Band, (bobbynathanband.com)

Best Wishes,

Jeff Eats

This contest started on 1/25/23. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $20 Lu Garden Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $20 Lu Garden Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 20 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $20 Gift Card is good at Lu Garden, 6700 Conroy Windermere Road, Orlando 32835, 407-522-8688.

Check menu/prices/info at lugardenorlando.com.

Posted on August 22nd, 2022

***** Lu Garden, 6700 Conroy Windermere Road, Orlando, Florida 32835, 407-522-8688.

Got a real good Chinese joint for you guys to checkout, Lu Garden in Orlando.

Simple tale to tell, last night Jeff Eats, Mrs. Jeff Eats, Daughter Jeff Eats and Son Jeff Eats “discovered” Lu Garden and the joint’s food killed! Indoor booth/table seating/small handful of outdoor tables, reasonably priced Brooklyn Jewish American Chinese Food circa 1957/Authentic Real Chinese Food menu, open Sunday 12pm-11pm/Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm/Friday-Saturday 12pm-12am.

Let’s wrap-up Lu Garden by saying- if the joint was a whole lot closer to Jeff Eats and Mrs. Jeff Eats’ Boca Raton abode- we would be real steady customers.

You guys can check menu/prices/info at lugardenorlando.com.

This contest started on 1/24/23. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $25 The Grille on Congress Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $25 The Grille on Congress gift card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 25 “reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $25 Gift Card is good at The Grille on Congress, 5101 Congress Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33487, (561) 912-9800.

Check menu/prices/info at thegrilleoncongress.com.

Posted on June 19th, 2011.

***** The Grille on Congress, 5101 Congress Avenue, Boca Raton, Florida 33487, (561) 912-9800.

“Out of sight, out of mind.”

The Grille on Congress is a real good-casual-reasonably priced “American-Style” restaurant, located in the back of one of the worst layed-out strip centers probably ever built. Trust me on this…make sure, your GPS system is working- if you haven’t been there before.

Way back when…not exactly sure when, I ate in this joint a handful of times. Suffice it to say, its crap location, actually made me forget that it even existed. Anyway…friends. Harvey and Judy “picked” The Grille on Congress last night, refreshing my memory.

Now, let’s talk about the joint…separate bar area, upscale wood interior…like I said before, casual, really good food and reasonable prices. You can check menu/prices/photos at www.thegrilleoncongress.com.

Last night I got to “sample”– bbq ribs ($24), asian glazed salmon ($23), New York strip steak (16oz-$30), baked stuff shrimp ($24)–entrees came with a salad and two sides.
Everything was absolutely delicious. A special shout-out to the “biscuits” that promptly arrive when seated—sensational. To be perfectly honest with you, 1-maybe-2 of those suckers with butter—and this joint will have you hooked, before your salad or entree hits the table.

For those of you too lazy to check The Grille’s online menu—the joint has meat/chicken/seafood eaters covered. You will definitely find something to eat with entrees running $15-$30…so nobody is gonna need a second job to pay the bill.

As a point of reference, if joints like Houston’s, J. Alexander’s, J. Mark’s are your style…then, you will really enjoy The Grille on Congress.

The Grill on Congress is open Monday-Friday 11:30am-9pm, Saturday 5pm-9pm, closed on Sunday.

* After M&A Moves, FAT Brands Finds Next Act.

Just keeping you guys in the loop…

From qsrmagazine.com:

January 23, 2023

FAT Brands opened a record 125 restaurants in 2022.

After M&A Moves, FAT Brands Finds Next Act.

The multi-brand company is focused on reducing debt through organic growth, selling its manufacturing business, and spinning off parts of Twin Peaks.
WEB EXCLUSIVES | JANUARY 20, 2023 | BEN COLEY
Tweet Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Forward via E-mail

FATBURGER
FAT Brands opened a record 125 restaurants in 2022.
For FAT Brands, 2022 was an organic growth story.

The multi-brand company, owner of 17 concepts, opened a record 125 restaurants last year, and that’s despite supply chain, permitting, and equipment delays. If not for those obstacles, the parent concept could’ve reached upward of 135–140 debuts. Still, 125 is an “off-the-charts number,” CEO Andy Wiederhorn says. He attributes the success to heavy investments in new store opening teams, training teams, and more construction/design personnel.

In 2023, the goal is to reach 175 openings and continue to chip away at the pipeline filled with 1,000-plus locations. As Wiederhorn explains, the sooner these restaurants are open, the sooner FAT Brands can earn royalties. It will go a long way in paying off debt from the company’s busy M&A activity in 2020 and 2021.

“We’re often talked about having a fair amount of debt because we borrowed a billion dollars to make acquisitions in 2020 and 2021,” Wiederhorn says. “And so we look somewhat levered. The more those new stores get open, the higher our EBITDA becomes and it naturally delevers. It’s not borrowing any more money. It just brings that ratio down. If we get the restaurants open and make the royalties, it helps drive that delevering effect.”

During the pandemic, FAT Brands first purchased Johnny Rockets for $25 million in September 2020. The following year, it bought Global Franchise Group (Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery, Hot Dog on a Stick, and Pretzelmaker) for $442.5 million, Twin Peaks for $300 million, Fazoli’s for $130 million, and Native Grill & Wings for $20 million.

Wiederhorn says 2022 was mostly spent digesting these purchases, although it did buy Nestlé Toll House Café to convert locations to Great American Cookies. Thus far, 30 units have changed, with 30–50 more to go. FAT Brands also looked into Wetzel’s Pretzels (acquired by MTY Food Group for $207 million) and Freshii (acquired by Foodtastic for $54.5 million).

Part of that digestion process was developing structure. Two brand presidents run FAT Brands’ quick-service categories because there are so many units. There are also leaders for fast casual, casual dining, polished casual, and the manufacturing business. Wiederhorn meets with the executives multiple times per week to make sure everyone is aligned with what’s ahead.

Wiederhorn says franchisees are FAT Brands’ true customers, so building communication with them is important as well. Last summer in Las Vegas, the company held a convention where all 2,300 restaurants were represented by roughly 800 operators. It was the first time all brands had been together in one place.

“It really let the franchisees realize how big the organization is and how they can get support from each other or from different parts of our business,” Wiederhorn says. “They may have been in one brand and it’s all they’ve ever known is one brand. But when they see that, hey, there’s resources everywhere here to help you, that helps us keep our finger on the pulse of what’s going on in their lives and how we can accelerate the growth and just stay in touch. And I think that was really productive.”

Similarly, 2023 won’t be a big acquisition year either. Wiederhorn wants to be thoughtful about paying back borrowed funds from the past couple of years. He has three ways of doing this. The first one is just getting more stores open.

“That pipeline of 1,000 stores, it’s worth about $60 million more a year in royalties and EBITDA, so we’d go from $90 million to $150 million,” Wiederhorn says. “If I wanted to buy $60 million in EBITDA, I’d have to go spend $600 million to buy a brand at 10 times to get that. So I don’t want to borrow another $600 million when I can just get it for free by focusing on getting these stores open.”

The second venture is potentially selling its manufacturing business. The factory, which makes cookie dough and pretzel mix, operates at just one-third capacity but accounts for about $15 million of the chain’s $90 million annual EBITDA. Wiederhorn estimates that if the factory were to reach 70 percent capacity, that $15 million could increase to $30 million to $35 million, which would allow FAT Brands to sell the factory for around $400 million. That would wipe away almost half of the company’s debt.

To ramp up capacity, FAT Brands may serve as a third-party manufacturer for other companies or acquire other chains to drive factory production. That’s why the company showed interest in Mrs. Fields and Wetzel’s Pretzels—they both require dough. The idea would’ve been to grab royalty streams and also manufacturing profit.

A third scenario involves bolstering Twin Peaks. The company would then sell part of the business or move toward an IPO.

Out of all FAT Brands’ chains, the sports bar is the only one that hasn’t been fully integrated in terms of accounting, legal, HR, and other departments. That’s because it’s just a different business, Wiederhorn says. No other chain in the group comes close to Twin Peaks’ 49 percent alcohol mix. Under FAT Brands, the chain grew from 80 to 95 units in one year, and there are plans to build another 20 in 2023. New stores are seeing AUV north of $6 million, and some in Florida are earning between $9 million and $12 million.

Wiederhorn also says it’s likely that FAT Brands will acquire another chain to convert those locations into Twin Peaks. If the brand reaches 150 to 170 units, that could bring $60 million to $75 million in EBITDA, making the chain worth around $1 billion, Wiederhorn says.

“I want to delever and pay back some of the money we spent on acquisitions,” the CEO says. “And I think if I execute on those three strategies, it makes more sense than just buying another brand.”

FAT Brands will still be part of the M&A market. The move just has to be strategic. Something in which the company can get multiple benefits instead of just dropping a brand into the portfolio, Wiederhorn says. There’s no desire to own 50 or 100 chains, but if it makes sense—like a sandwich, coffee, or salad concept—and there are synergies, FAT Brands isn’t going to ignore the opportunity. Wiederhorn would much rather do that than create a new brand. He’s also not interested in turnarounds that take “10 times the energy.” He would choose to pay 10x earnings for a brand “with wind at its back and growth.”

“Essentially, we have become a publicly traded private equity restaurant,” Wiederhorn says. “I think we’ll evaluate the public markets and how much credit we get for the acquisitions we’ve made and earnings we deliver and the gains if we sell a brand or sell an asset and how that works. And then there may be holes that open up in our portfolio.”

“ … We want to support our franchise partners and drop a thriving brand into our system,” he adds.

This contest started on 1/23/23. This contest has a winner.

* Win A $10 Wingstop Gift Card.

Jeff Eats got a $10 Wingstop Gift Card to give to one of you guys!

The game- the first 10 reader-comments” received – will be entered in a “blind hat pick”! You can submit as many comments as you’d like but- Please, only 1- reader comment – per day…play fair!

The $10 Gift Card is good at any of Wingstop’s 109 Florida locations.

Check menu/prices/locations/info at wingstop.com.

Posted on January 24th, 2011

***** Wingstop, 4570 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073, (954) 935-9464.

Wingstop is a “national” WING chain. For our purposes, there are currently 7 South Florida locations. You can check www.wingstop.com for menu/prices/locations.

Wingstop is a real-easy concept to comprehend… non breaded wings, breaded boneless wings, breaded white meat chicken strips…9 flavors…handful of sides.

A recent outing had me trying—breaded wings/breaded strips/boneless wings/french fries…hawaiian, teriyaki, garlic parmesan flavors. Loved all of the offerings/flavors. Also really enjoyed the fresh hand cut french fries. From what I can tell, everthing is made to order…the stuff came out of the kitchen piping hot.

If you like wings and fries, you’ll like this joint.

Like I said, there are 7 joints in our area, so check Wingstop’s website for a close-by location and its hours.