Today we’d like to introduce you to Jess Louis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jess. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started working in the restaurant industry at an early age. My first job was bussing tables at the age of 14 and by the time I was 16, I had been promoted to a server. After high school, I attended college at Florida State University. After only attending one semester, I decided to move back to South Florida to continue pursuing my passion for the restaurant industry.
When I returned to the industry, I began taking a greater interest in what makes a restaurant successful. At the job I had, I was splitting my time between the back of the house and the front of the house, learning the ins and outs of operations, management, customer service, training, menu creation and more. All the hours I put into the restaurant truly paid off, as I was promoted to assistant general manager at just 20 years old. This was a great accomplishment, and I feel that it’s what truly helped propel what would come next for me.
In 2010, I teamed up with a friend to launch the first Legends Tavern and Grille. After a few challenging years of learning about the business side of the industry and building a brand, something finally clicked. In 2015, my father, Russel Louis, and I opened our second location in Deerfield Beach, followed by our third location in Lighthouse Point in 2017.
Has it been a smooth road?
My journey has not been smooth, there have been struggles along the way. Learning the ins and outs of running a business wasn’t always a walk in the park, as I had to constantly adapt to changes that were occurring in the industry, the market, and our brand.
Opening the first Legends Tavern and Grille location came with a lot of trials and tribulations. Early on, there were months where I could only afford to pay my staff but not myself. It was an especially difficult time when some months there weren’t enough funds to pay rent.
After taking some time to adjust my approach and learn from the challenges, our brand started to succeed and grow. I learned quickly that I couldn’t do everything myself, I had to learn the art of delegating tasks to my managers and trust that they were doing their jobs properly, while also reflecting our brand in the best light.
Things got easier over the years and now we have three fully-operational locations with a phenomenal staff, and I couldn’t be happier.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Legends Tavern and Grille is a restaurant brand in South Florida that serves up a menu of traditional sports bar bites, New American items and specialty dishes, craft beers and more.
While we certainly have the classic burger and wing dishes that most sports-bar patrons love, we are most proud of how diverse our menu concept is compared to most on the market. Some of our more specialty items include Escargot Stuffed Mushrooms, a Falafel Wrap, the Mona Lisa Sandwich, Short Rib Grilled Cheese, and so much more. We are always researching new trends in the restaurant industry, which is why we update our menu yearly.
I am most proud of our management team. Many of the managers have been with us since the beginning and have helped make our brand what it is today. Legends Tavern and Grille prides itself on providing employees the opportunity to grow within the brand. We have incredible managers that started with us 10 years ago as dishwashers and servers – we really try to find those passionate and hard-working people who want to excel. We strive daily to elevate and create more job opportunities for those who have been with us throughout the ups and downs and will continue to be loyal to the brand.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
My fondest memories while growing up were playing sports, specifically hockey and baseball. The local restaurants and businesses were always sponsoring the teams I was on. Because of their sponsorships, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time at the restaurants, which I think has always resonated with me over the years and has now turned into my passion.
Contact Info:
- Address: Lighthouse Point, FL
3128 N Federal Highway Deerfield Beach, FL
1391 S Military Trailsunrise, FL
10079 w Oakland Park Blvd. - Website: http://www.legendstavernandgrille.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendstavern/
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