We’d like to introduce you to Laura Padrino.
We’re so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Padrino’s is a third generation, family owned collection of Cuban restaurants. We were founded in 1976 by my grandparents, who then handed over the business to my dad and for the last decade, my brothers and I have been at the helm. After studying hospitality at Florida international University I worked for a few years with a luxury Hilton property in Brickell. By year three, I realized that if I’m going to work this hard, it needs to be for a company with my name and not someone else’s. I wanted to incorporate myself in the family business but I also wanted to earn my way by creating something that added value and at the same time felt like it was mine and not merely me working for my dad’s restaurant. The idea in achieving that was to expand our catering efforts and make it its own separate identity that can generate revenue and be known independently of the established locations. After five years of developing a menu, systems and processes, Padrino’s catering grew enough to require a catering manager to work alongside me, which also allowed me to broaden my focus to other areas. In 2017, the third generation opened our first location in Fort Lauderdale. I designed the dining room from top to bottom from plateware to wallpaper and everything in between. Since then we’ve opened and remodeled three additional locations and I’ve designed each one. It’s been quite the ride and I’ve truly enjoyed all of it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way?
A lesson I learned early on in terms of our catering department was that we didn’t have to be all things to all people. When I first started, I did every event that was requested of me, but I quickly discovered there were many events requesting a lot of resources yet yielding little revenue. When I did weddings, it took the whole week to plan and prepare and sometimes the whole weekend to execute. The juice was certainly not worth the squeeze. At that point, I pivoted my efforts on corporate style catering which is the most efficient way to serve the highest amount of guests with the least amount of staff. We still take on special events like weddings, showers and rehearsal dinners, but it’s approached very differently and a lot more efficiently. You live and you learn, you adapt and you grow.
Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
What people wouldn’t imagine to be easy or smooth is working with your family. I get asked quite often “how do you work with your family?” and it comes down to that we all truly know and respect each other. Each of us are naturally wired differently and fortunately, they coincide with the specific roles we play. One of my brothers oversees all the finances and the other runs the operations and I focus over all of the sales and marketing. We all have our own separate lanes, but we do work together quite a bit. I like to say that we’re like a braid that intertwines but never tangles. We’re able to motivate and encourage each other. Working with your family requires a lot of communication and respect – we respect each other a lot. It’s also easier to work together because we’re all part of a bigger picture, which is inspired by our past and honoring our grandparents’ legacy as well as motivated by our future and the potential we have yet to realize.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Of course, my family –my husband and daughters– are what makes me the happiest. Aside from my family though, I love mentoring and being able to impact people’s lives. I mentor with a few different organizations. I love being able to mentor young people, the fact that they confide in me and look to me to counsel and guide them. It’s also an essential skill to have in dealing with employees and leading a team. I’ve shortened our mission at the restaurant to two words- “Leave Better.” We want the guest to leave better after the dining experience they’ve had with us. We want for our team members to leave better because they’ve grown and learned from their time working with us. Lastly, we want the community to be better off from our presence and hopefully the impact we’ve made on it. Our family always says “Padrino’s is just the vehicle.” It could have been any business but it’s the means to the end in a much larger calling.
What are your top menu items and can you share pricing information that you wish our readers to know?
Some of our best-selling favorites are Lechon Asado, Churrasco, Vaca Frita, Bistec de Pollo and Flan and prices vary per location. I’ve shared a more detailed description of each of the items below:
● Lechon Asado – Slow roasted pork, seasoned with citrus mojo and topped with sauteed onions. Served with moros and yucca.
● Churrasco – A skirt steak char-grilled with our homemade chimichurri. Served with white rice, black beans and plantains.
● Vaca Frita – Marinated shredded flank steak grilled and topped with sauteed onions. Served with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains.
● Bistec de Pollo – A traditionally palomilla steak sandwich with juicy seasoned minute steak topped with sauteed onions and served on hot-pressed Cuban bread topped with lettuce and tomato.
● Flan – A Cuban favorite! A velvety custard topped with soft caramel sauce.
Contact information
- Website: www.Padrinos.com
- Facebook: @PadrinosCuban
- Instagram: @PadrinosCuban
Suggest a Story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
