BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. — A restaurant crawl is helping business owners recover from loss of income after Hurricane Helene devastated businesses on Bradenton Beach.
The kitchens are open and restaurants along Bradenton Beach are welcoming back customers.
“It feels good to see the faces back in here. Especially all the regulars that come in and support you,” said Michael Zarrillo, Assistant General Manager of Mar Vista.
The storm surge from Helene forced businesses to shut down for nearly two months.
Mar Vista is among four restaurants participating in a restaurant crawl hosted by My Beach Concierge, an effort to help businesses recoup lost revenue.
“We started realizing through hearing from our son, who is also a server on the island, that folks were having to borrow money to get through because the hurricane had taken all the business, and nobody knew the restaurants were open,” said Becky Heldreth, co-owner of My Beach Concierge.
Patrons spent at least $25 at each restaurant. One customer from Tampa wanted to support businesses on the island she calls her “happy place.”
“I have to go support the most amazing place on earth... this island, our beaches, and our community here. So here I am,” Amy Williams said.
Beach House Waterfront Restaurant reopened three weeks ago, but the general manager said some people still don’t know.
“They come in and they’re like, 'Oh we were hoping you were open,' or 'Geesh, it looks great in here. We didn’t expect it to look so great.' So I think getting the word out is important,” said John O'Driscoll, Beach House General Manager.
The profit from the restaurant crawl ticket sales is being used to tip the staff.
“A lot of people think they’re just giving a tip just to a server. No, you’re supporting the staff in the back, the staff in the front. You're giving the managers back their positions. You're giving everyone back, and everyone gets to come back together as a team to rebuild everything and get everyone to come back out,” Zarrillo said.”
Brides, families fighting for refunds after event venue closes suddenly
“We’ve struggled so hard to scrape the money to be able to do this for her,” Irizarry said. “She’s my only girl and I wanted this so much for her.”
Couples and families who had weddings and events planned at a well-known venue that abruptly closed claim they’re out thousands of dollars and aren’t being given refunds. Annette Irizarry was supposed to hold her 15-year-old daughter’s quinceañera in August at the Clearwater location and said she’s now out the $6,160 she paid. Without that money, Irizarry said she can’t afford to have her daughter’s celebration somewhere else.
