(Newswire.net—May 14, 2013) Tampa, FL—Hyde Park in Tampa is home to the city’s finest restaurants and neighborhoods. Located in South Tampa known as “Soho”, this area enjoys the Bayshore waterfront where private homes and mansions exist with grand views and close proximity to some of Tampa’s great venues and destinations. Little known, but increasingly clear, is the emergence of Tampa as one of the country’s best food and restaurant cities.
The “secret sauce” to owning and operating a successful restaurant is not just the “sauce” but rather the formula for all aspects of running a restaurant. Most recently, Michael Stewart, the owner and founder of 717 South, a New American style cuisine that enjoys a high end crowd that includes many sports stars and celebrities, shared with us his background and ideology about starting his restaurant ownership venture.
“I came from a real estate developer background and family and liked to eat out a lot…I just knew what I wanted and how I wanted to be treated when I was out.” recalls Stewart. Not having been home grown in the restaurant business with no experience, Stewart talks about a book that heavily influenced his life, “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” by Malcolm Gladwell. Within the book, the primary message refers to ideas, products, messages, and behaviors that “spread like viruses”. The little acts and thoughts that can mount and become exponential and spread to affect large changes. Clearly this can be referred to both positive and negative, but with Stewart, his passion for getting the restaurant formula right was triggered by this concept.
Certainly within his restaurant, he dug deep down to decipher what it was in his mind that was most important that he liked when dining out. His host or hostess that greets his patrons is a key example of the way he thinks. “I look at my host as conducting a symphony in an orchestra,” he states, “and I try to hire them with no experience..” This allows him to work with a fresh canvas and influence the “little things” that are so important as they collectively aggregate to make the “symphony” harmonize.
The quality of the food is at the top of the list in providing freshness and purity with flavors of meats, herbs, and sauces that his executive chef carefully prepares. The ambiance is also a creation that evolved as necessity and special needs were identified for optimum dining room experience. Sharing a large space while also feeling somewhat private is not easy to achieve, however when the ambiance is right, it is felt throughout the room.
For a unique dining experience and more information about 717 South and their ideas for success, come and visit 717 South at 717 S. Howard Ave Tampa, FL 33606 (813) 250-1661 www.717south.com