Today we’d like to introduce you to Gene Playter.
Gene, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Have been in the industry for 25 yrs +, started at Harry Carey’s in Chicago, then With Goose Island Brew Pub, (Waaaay before they became the Goos Island that we all know now). Moved to Florida in 1998 worked for the FLL Hilton for a brief period and was recruited by a guest to help with a new company called E-Brands, became a managing partner & the next 5 years opened 10 restaurants with the most notable brand being Samba Room.
That company was sold, and bounced around for a couple years until I pulled the trigger and open my 1st place: GratifY American Gastropub in West Palm Beach, we had a lot of success and awards, after 3 years and legal battles with the landlord we decided to close. Then I did consult and traveled around the country searching for something that caught my eye. I saw a concept in North Carolina that really stuck in my brain… then with thoughts of relaunching GratifY in partnership with my long-term friend, Chris Sanchez.
As a partner we began looking for locations, after looking at 10-12 spots with no reasonable landlords, we began to realize that GratifY was not gonna work with the capital we had & we did not want any more partners. So I mentioned my visit to the concept in NC and we tweaked it to fit our style and food. We were then contacted by a real estate friend of ours telling us “You need to get your ass’s over here today and sign this lease, it’s perfect for you!” We took a look and it was perfect, from the location, the layout, and the financial terms… it all literally fell into place within hours.
3 months later we opened, and a month after that we were asked to be on a reality show, which we accepted, and then it was like a rocket ship. 2 years after opening Beer Trade Delray, Myself and another Friend, Adam Myers, had the opportunity to buy the Delray Beach Iconic “Frog Lounge”. We tweaked that (got rid of smoking, added TV’s, cleaned it up, and started doing events and hosting Food Trucks… within a few months we had increased sales by 30% and are currently up about 45% from the numbers we took over.
Then in June 2016, we had an opportunity to obtain another location for Beer Trade Co. this time in Boca. Somewhat similar situation to how we obtained the 1st location in that we were again contacted by our Real estate buddy, and it fit the parameters we felt would work. We had a bit more of a budget to spend so we improved some systems, storage, and equipment. Space needed more work as it had been neglected by previous tenants.
We opened in late 2016 and had an immediate impact and the concept has been well received and become a “local hangout” as has the Original location. We are super happy about the success of the Beer Trade Co. locations and are actively seeking more. The Frog is and continues its iconic tradition for a new generation.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is no such thing a smooth road in any business, but you must look every situation, bad and good, as an opportunity to improve or make a decision on how the concept will look.
Funding is always a challenge, and we had our challenges. Chris & I decided that we did not want to take on any partners or investors, So what that meant was that we did not get paid until the Vendors, Bills, and most importantly, the Staff got paid. Sometimes that meant we did not get paid for weeks or months.
The 1st year we ate at the restaurant 3 times a day, disconnected the cable at home went without whatever we could to make the concept work. In the 1st 6months at Beer Trade, it was just me and Chris working open to close 7 days a week, we continued that until it started to get too busy to provide quality service.
Employees are always a challenge and getting great ones are something every business struggles with. We have had great employees and had our challenges, but we seem to always find the quality people we need to represent the brand, and once you figure that out it makes life a lot easier. Our “secret” is to find people with the same passion and drive as us and more importantly who are as interested in our success as theirs.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Beer Trade Co. Delray Beach, Beer Trade Co. Boca Raton & The Frog Lounge – what should we know?
We are what is commonly referred to as a “bottle store” across the country, they are somewhat rare, but they exist in larger cities mostly in the “hip” areas. We provide a rotating inventory of Beer of which we have 350-400 different labels available (depending upon location). The unique thing about our service and concept is that all the beer & Wine is “self-serve”, we practice the honor system… You grab your own beer, enjoy it, then stash it in a readily available 6 pack holder and when you come to cash out, you bring those empties up to the counter with you….
We believe that most humans are honorable and those that are not will weed themselves out or get beat up by our loyal customers. 🙂 We serve Craft food as well, our food would be considered “Gastropub” style food in any other setting, and in fact was inspired by my 1st solo concept, Gratify American Gastropub. We specialize in the “Chill”, our guests see us as an extension of their home and as a relaxing spot where there is no pressure to dress up, “be cool” or impress as some of the other places in town.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe it is my calm demeanor and my ability to control emotion and fear in any situation. I do not panic and always strive for solution and movement forward. My Motto has been “Don’t bother turning the page, cause I’m writing this Mother Fucker! ”
Contact Info:
- Address: 145 NE 4th Ave Delray Beach, FL 33483 (Beer Trade Co. Delray)
1325 N Federal Hwy Delray Beach FL 33483 (The Frog Lounge)
2151 N Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33431 (Beer Trade Co. Boca) - Website: www.facebook.com/beertradeco
- Phone: 561-808-7304
- Email: geneplayter@beertradeco.com
- Instagram: Beer Trade Co
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/beertradeco
- Twitter: Beer_Trade_Co
- Yelp: Beer Trade Co
Image Credit:
Libby Vogles
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