Why Are So Many Restaurants In Our Area Shutting Down? 

When popular chains like Red Lobster tart closing, there is definitely cause for some concern. 

When I lived in New York City in the 1980s, I was told by someone I looked up to in the advertising industry that unlike the real estate business — where the three most important words are “Location, Location, Location” — the rule of thumb for doing business with restaurants was “Get your money up front, Get your money up front, Get your money up front.” 

It didn’t take me long to figure out why that was true — at least in Manhattan, where some of my favorite restaurants would get one bad review in any of the major New York media and be out of business in a week. And, this was decades before the advent of online reviews, when anyone with a beef against a restaurant owner could anonymously go online and turn a restaurant’s (especially a new one’s) Google or Yelp rating (or both) to garbage in a heartbeat. 

But, in New York, almost every restaurant on every street was an individually owned mom-&- pop, which has always been more of a gamble than opening another link in a well-funded, regional or national, mass-marketed chain. 

However, as evidenced by the recent rash of restaurant closings in our area, it’s no longer just mom-&-pop, non-chain restaurants that are being affected by everything from rising food costs and salaries, plus ever-increasing rents/interest rates, as well as the cost of things like building materials to even open a new place. 

Case in point: When you see beloved (perhaps not by me, but still by many), well-established chains like Red Lobster (photo), Tijuana Flats and Beef O’Brady’s shuttering multiple locations, that is definitely a cause for concern. 

In Wesley Chapel, it seems like 80% of the eateries are chains — whether national or regional — and almost every new place that is popping up (like Rodizio Grill) is at least a small chain. The only exception seems to be Asian restaurants — from Japanese to Indian — which are more often single-location or just 2-3 total family-owned units. 

In other words, for every solo Via Italia or Falabella Family Bistro hanging in there you have a 201st location of Fazoli’s (see pg. 49) opening. For every one-off Chick’n Fun that attracts an audience, you’re surrounded by one of nearly 200 Slim Chickens and one of 20+ Chicken Guy! (which is coming soon to the north side of S.R. 56) locations. 

Of course, the cost to buy a piece of land and build a new restaurant in Wesley Chapel is becoming prohibitive for anyone other than a chain, but even shuttered fast food places like Wendy’s on S.R. 56 are simply being replaced by another chain — such as Shake Shack, which has nearly 400 locations. 

If you visit local online communities, you’ll always see people bemoaning all of the chain restaurants we have and all of the mom-&-pops we don’t have in our area and yet, every year, hundreds of our readers vote mainly for chains and don’t seem to even know about many of the really good mom-&-pop places available to them. Here are some reasons why: 

Marketing — Even chains with food that I personally refuse to eat — like Taco Bell and Subway — spend millions of dollars every year on ads that magically make their food look absolutely edible. But, while many new local restaurants intend to spend money to promote themselves, the first thing most cut back on when their build-out inevitably takes longer than they ever expected is that advertising money. 

Labor — It seemed like the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated a dangerous new attitude towards work among young people — the very labor source most restaurants have to look at to fill their employee rosters. And, while the height of the pandemic has been in the rear view for at least three years now — and many fewer people are being paid more to not work than if they have a job — that attitude still seems to be pervasive. 

And, since the trend towards higher pandemic-era tipping for waiters and bartenders seemed to settle down somewhat, many restaurants have added service charges (that, unfortunately, aren’t always fairly shared with the employees), charges for using a credit card to pay and other extras that have created higher costs to dine (or take) out and turned off many regular customers. 

Food Quality — I still feel that this is the biggest issue of all. Jannah and I believe that an expensive meal is always still worth it if the portions and prices are fair, the service is good and the quality of the food is high. However, overpaying for lower-quality food and/or bad service is never OK with us and I honestly think that many chains — and some mom-&-pops — have cut back on quality while charging more for the same meals, often with smaller portions for a higher price. 

I see a lot of people warning that many more restaurant closings are still coming, but I, for one, hope that won’t prove to be true. 

Taking The ‘Story Plaques’ Fight To Another Level 

Whether or not you’re currently a business owner, imagine, if you can, working hard to create a product that provides a unique service to your customers. 

Next, imagine that someone who spent literally zero of those man/woman-hours to create that product comes along and — without your permission — represents themselves as “working with” your company in order to be able to get your customer to spend money with them as they blatantly copy that work. They even go so far as to put your company’s logo on the product — again, without so much as asking the ownership of your company “Is it OK if we do this?” 

That’s the predicament local publications like ours face every single day from companies like “In The News” (which no longer exists) and “That’s Great News” (which bought out “In The News”). This company tells our customers to lie to us and say that they need “a clean electronic copy” of a story about their business that appeared in our pages, supposedly “for our social media.” 

Then, you walk into their place of business a few weeks later and see that story on a plaque for which we received no compensation and the only credit we received is that our logo appears at the top of the plaque. 

I have been dealing with this B.S. for probably close to a decade, as electronic versions of our stories began being posted on our website. 

These “News” companies would simply grab screenshots of every Business Feature story off our website and send a proof of that story on a not-yet-created plaque to our advertisers (see left photo above), telling them they were “working with the Neighborhood News” and get a large number of those businesses to purchase their plaques for anywhere from $200-$400 — depending upon the size of the plaque(s) and the length of each story. I saw no fewer than six of these stories in our advertisers’ places of businesses in one month — and it did not make me happy. 

And, the kicker was that literally every time I would ask them who made the plaque for them, the business owner would tell me, “I thought you did,” which made me even less happy. 

Then, about three years ago, I realized that if I offered my advertisers plaques of their stories that we actually did create for them that they would probably prefer our plaques to the ones created by these outside companies. 

The problem was that I didn’t have someone on my staff who could get in contact with our advertisers to tell them about our plaques — and warn them that “That’s Great News” is most definitely NOT “working with us,” but that they are, in fact, using our work to make money for their company. But now, I have my wife Jannah following up with each business on our behalf. 

Consider this: Either I or one of my writers spends up to an hour or more researching each of these stories, up to another hour interviewing these business owners, and then multiple additional hours writing each story. I then take an hour or more of my time to edit each one, and then edit each story again once it has been laid into the paper. In most cases, I also pay our photographer Charmaine George to take the pictures that accompany each story, and then pay to print and distribute each copy of each edition of the paper. Why should anyone else make even one dollar off of all of those efforts? 

Those companies will tell you that they’re “allowed” to do what they do because of “second use” laws that permit it but, from what I — and an attorney customer of mine — have seen, they still need our permission to do so. 

That’s why I created the ad below to say we do not give anyone permission to use our work and that this is fair warning that the next step in this battle could be a legal one. To be continued… 

Thirty Years? That’s Nice, But How About 40 Years? — RP&G Printing! 

After hosting the party celebrating my 30 years of owning the Neighborhood News, Jannah and I were proud to celebrate an even bigger milestone at an event hosted by our friends Kent and Cindy Ross, the owners of RP&G Printing & Business Systems, Inc. 

And, while Kent and Cindy both seemed to enjoy themselves and said super-sweet things to us about my 30 years of Neighborhood News at our event, the fact is that my accomplishment pales in comparison to the fact that Kent has owned RP&G now for 40 years and Cindy joined him in 1995, or almost 30 years ago. 

Like yours truly, Kent — a long-time member and former president of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel — and Cindy, one of the most visible (at virtually every event) long-time ambassadors for the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC), have deep roots in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel communities and also have been able to evolve their printing business over the decades. 

Their celebration of Kent and RP&G’s 40 years on Mar. 21 also was a way to introduce their many friends and business associates to the company’s new location on Pet Ln., off Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz, and featured beautiful food (including some very upscale bacon-wrapped, cheese-filled dates crafted by RP&G graphic designer Stephanie Flischel), an impressive hula hoop display — did I mention the hula hoop was on fire? — by production specialist Brianna Peterson and a dancing 7+-foot-tall robot (provided by Karen’s Hora Loca) adorned with the RP&G logo and a similar number of attendees as the 150 or so who attended (including Kent and Cindy, by the way) our event. 

When you consider that the only other business that has been open continuously in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel since 1984, when Kent first opened RP&G, is Saddlebrook Resort, you can understand why RP&G’s longevity is such a major accomplishment. 

And, don’t forget that Saddlebrook was sold by founder and owner Tom Dempsey last year, so unless I’m forgetting someone, I don’t believe any business has been serving either of our distribution areas for longer than our friend Kent has. 

Here are some facts Kent sent us in a press release about RP&G’s 40th birthday: 

“We started by supplying continuous forms and checks for the burgeoning computer revolution in the 1980s. along with business cards and stationery,” he said. ”Full color printing then was so expensive only big companies could afford it, but now, we specialize in full-color marketing materials to help small businesses shine that are affordable for any size company.” 

“This dedication has established a foundation of loyalty, still servicing clients that have been with the company since its inception — a testament to their unwavering commitment to client relations and customer service.” 

Cindy added, “RP&G stands for more than just service; it signifies a promise to deliver great value and make our clients look their best.” 

Significant achievements in RP&G’s 40-year history include: 

• Winning the Small Business of the Year award from the NTBC in 2017 

• Runner-up for Small Business of the Year, Pasco Economic Development Council, in 2016 

• Receiving the Superior Performance in Print Shop Management award by CPrint International three times in the past five years. 

Kent reminisces with humor about the company’s early days: “People often ask me what RP&G stands for. At the start, I looked so young — many assumed I was a kid trying to run a business. By rebranding to RP&G instead of my original ‘Ross Printing and Graphics,’ and changing my title from President to Sales Representative, I saw our sales take off, as people then trusted that I had ‘adult supervision.’” 

In addition to keeping up with modern printing production technology, RP&G attributes much of its success to its dedicated staff. 

“Machines will only get you so far,” Kent says. “At the end of the day, it’s the people in your organization that will make or break you and we have been blessed with talented team players that really look after our clients!” 

These four decades also showcase a family’s legacy in the printing business. Kent’s grandmother was the founder of the Pasco Shopper and had a print shop in the 1950s. His father joined that business in the early ‘60s. 

Congrats, Kent & Cindy! We love you! And clearly, we’re not the only ones! 

For more info about RP&G, call (813) 949-5700 or visit RPandG.com. 

Special Needs Kids & Young Adults Have Special Skills 

When I notified the winners of our annual “Big Game Squares” Contest to find out what restaurants they wanted gift cards to, it turned out that one of the winners was John Sousa, the On the Job Training (OJT) Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher at Cypress Creek High that we had featured in a previous issue. 

You may recall that one of John’s ESE kids needed a tray for her wheelchair and he enlisted the help of two of the school’s young engineering students to create one for their schoolmate’s chair. 

I therefore should not have been surprised when John asked me if, instead of just meeting him somewhere to give him his $75 Bonefish gift card, if I would instead give it to him in person in front of his class. He also asked if I would be willing to talk to his class (photo) of 14 young adults between the ages of 18-22, who participate in his class, which is funded by Florida’s “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA, which was signed into law in 2015) to prepare these young people to join the workforce. 

“Basically, at age 22,” Sousa told me, “they’re no longer eligible for this program and there are very limited opportunities for them to be employed when they finish here.” 

He thought I could give his students — who are on the autism spectrum and/or have other physical, mental, emotional and speech disabilities — some pointers about writing resumes, about the advertising and publishing business and the workforce in general. But for me, it became more about the kids themselves and what their interests were. 

One young lady named Artia said she really wants to be a baker and would love to work at Publix, which offers work opportunities for a lot of differently-abled young adults. 

A shy young man named Tyler, whom Sousa said loves to look inside machines and is fascinated by trains, rail yards, airplanes and rockets, gave me his full attention when I described how the presses that print the Neighborhood News work. 

But, the young man who most intrigued me was Craig Moore, who said he really wants to be a songwriter but also has written a large number of poems. Craig said that what he does is listen to songs on the radio and then write his own lyrics to those songs. I explained that although I have no direct contact with the music business, that I would be happy to publish one of Craig’s excellent poems on this page, to see if anyone would be interested enough in his poetry to publish a book of his unique perspectives on a variety of topics. 

While I hoped that I was able to reach his students, the best part for me was that John sent me a text afterwards and said that not only did the kids really appreciate my hour with them, but that Craig told both his counselor at school and his parents how excited he was to have his poem published in the Neighborhood News.

John, who has been teaching ESE kids for 38 years — the first 20 in his native Illinois and the last 18 in the Pasco School District — said that he is looking for more local professionals who would be willing to talk to his class (photo). 

Cypress Creek principal Karen Hetzler-Nettles says, “Mr. Sousa is a special person who works hard to keep his students from falling through the cracks.” 

John, who also thanks his instructional assistant Keith Reiley for all the help he provides, also told me that one reason he cares so much for his students is because, “I was basically a special needs kid myself. I came to the U.S. from Portugal when I was eight and neither of my parents spoke English. I had to learn English quickly to help them buy their home and do their taxes and I did that by watching cartoons. I wish they had an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) back then. It would have really helped me.” 

If you would like to speak with his class, please email jsousa@pasco.k12.fl.us. 

Tell Me Why You Want To ‘Leap Into The Next 30 Years!’ 

As I told you last issue, my 30th anniversary of owning and being the editor of the Neighborhood News is February 25 and we will be celebrating with a big, by-invitation-only party on “Leap Day” — Thursday, February 29 — at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. 

The event will be called “Leaping Into Gary’s Next 30 Years Of Neighborhood News” and will feature “A Taste of the Neighborhood News,” which means that several of my Favorite Restaurants from our last issue will be providing samples that will show everyone in attendance why I actually do love all of them. 

Another really cool thing about the upcoming anniversary party is that the 325-350 theater seats (right photo) used for performances of “Grease,” “Shrek the Musical” and “Dreamgirls” will magically disappear and be replaced with cabaret-style table seating for about 150 people (left photo), which means that seating for this event will be extremely limited, considering how many people in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel I’ve gotten to know and have come to consider to be friends over the past 30 years. And, that’s not to mention so many of my amazing advertisers who have kept — and continue to keep — me in business where too many other publications, including daily newspapers, have gone the way of the dinosaur. 

And, if you attended my 25th anniversary party at Bayscape Bistro at the Heritage Isles Golf Club five years ago, you know that there will be entertainment again for this year’s bash — and yes, that entertainment will again be karaoke, this time provided by mine and Jannah’s friend Tabitha Pollard of Luna Tunes, LLC. Tabitha not only has most, if not all of the songs that Jannah and I like to sing, she also is a bit of a Broadway buff who will surely be providing lots of opportunity for those who want to belt out a hit from anything from “Grease” to “Sweeney Todd.” 

The only thing that will cost anyone any money at the party is the alcohol, which will be a cash bar because of the PAC’s rules. The good news, however, is that we get to select the premium adult beverages that will be offered for sale. 

In other words, it’s going to be a blast! 

Here’s How You Can Attend! 

Despite the fact that there will be plenty of invited guests, one of the things that isn’t lost on me is that I wouldn’t still be doing what I do 30 years later if not for all of you — our loyal readers! 

To that end, if you’re interested in getting your name on the guest list for the “Leaping Into Gary’s Next 30 Years” party, send me an email to ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com with 50 words or less (and yes, that is a hard limit) as to why you want to or should be included, by no later than Friday, February 23. Please include your name, the community you live in (Tampa Palms, Pebble Creek, etc.) and your daytime phone number from your valid email address. I will read all of the emails and choose as many people as I have seats left for, whether that’s two or 22, by no later than Monday, February 26. Please put “I Want To Leap!” in the subject line! 

And here’s the thing — you Gary haters out there are invited to send me an email, too. If I get any good hater emails, I will likely invite those folks to attend because I prefer to meet my haters in person than to allow them to remain anonymous. See (some of) you on the 29th!