- October 21, 2024
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No matter what their damage was, every customer had a story.
This is what co-owners Michael and Catherine Garey recalled when the Lazy Lobster was one of the first restaurants to open after Hurricane Helene. Its first night back was packed with regulars searching for normalcy after being disheartened as they returned to the island.
Customers expressed their gratitude for being open so quickly and this stuck with the Gareys. So, it was a no-brainer to open right away when they were spared from damage a second time after Hurricane Milton hit.
As Michael Garey prepared to open after Milton on Oct. 15, it dawned on him that it was the 15th anniversary of the Lazy Lobster.
After years of being a place of delicious cuisine and community for the island, he didn’t envision celebrating this milestone as one of the only restaurants open after hurricane season wrecked Longboat Key.
The story of the beloved eatery actually started over 15 years ago, in 1979. 20-year-old Garey was a busboy at Cafe L’Europe, and co-owner Bob Fracalossy worked alongside him as the butcher.
Garey described these formative years to be the foundation for his career. He named his mentor Titus Letschert, who started Cafe L’Europe, one of the hardest workers he had ever met.
“Titus was a huge influence on my life,” said Garey. “He worked day and night in Cafe L’Europe for years, seven days a week. So early on, I would do the same, work day and night and sometimes sleep in the restaurant throughout the week. He taught me this work ethic and passion that brought me my love to serve. It has always been something I’ve enjoyed.”
Garey and Fracalossy rose quickly throughout the years at Cafe L’Europe, with Fracalossy becoming the sous chef and Garey becoming the general manager. They built a close friendship by working together every day and bouncing off ideas to keep customers coming back.
In 1994, the duo moved off of the circle and onto the island to start up Cafe on the Bay, or the now Portofino Ristorante and Bar at the Longboat Key Club. Fracalossy was the chef there for five years, but Garey started as its manager for a few months before returning to Cafe L’Europe.
After that, Garey and Fracalossy went their separate ways in the food industry. While staying in contact throughout the years, their strong friendship soon inspired the idea of owning a restaurant together.
Building off of this, Fracalossy bought the original Lazy Lobster on Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota in 2007. After working years on Longboat, the two thought it would be a better place to accomplish their restaurant dreams.
The current location of the Lazy Lobster became available in 2009 and was known as an unlucky place for restaurants since they wouldn’t stay open for long.
Knowing this information, Garey and Fracalossy still wanted to keep an open mind when considering it. Garey decided to bring his wife to have dinner to see if it was worth purchasing the spot.
“It ended up being us and one other couple having dinner at the restaurant,” said Garey. “I told her on the way out, ‘I want you to think about this with fresh eyes. We got a full parking lot and an unused terrace and put that with Bob's food.' When I told her that, she was convinced. That was in July. We made a quick turnaround sale and opened on Oct. 15 of 2009. It did take a long two weeks, but after that, we know we hit on something.”
Garey said the first two weeks were full of chaos. On that first weekend, the internet provider went out, which caused trouble with placing reservations and orders. Garey remembered standing on the side of Gulf of Mexico Drive, yelling into his phone, trying to book reservations since he had terrible cell service then.
After the first two weeks, the Lazy Lobster took off. It is now a staple restaurant for Longboaters and a comfort to come back to after the hurricane season Longboat had.
“It is known as people’s neighborhood restaurant and that was our goal,” said Garey. “We didn’t have a fine dining pretense, and I think the island was grateful to have a more reasonably priced restaurant. There were already great restaurants out here that are going to do fine dining better than we could ever do. So, we decided to stick to our Lazy Lobster.”
As the Lazy Lobster grew, Garey was established as a pillar on Longboat with his heavy involvement in the community, such as being the former president of the Longboat Key Kiwanis Club and the chair of its Lawn Party for years.
With the hurricane hitting before its anniversary, the Lazy Lobster wasn’t able to celebrate it the way they wanted to. Currently, they have a promotion where customers can enjoy $15 off of an online gift card of $115 or more until Oct. 31.
As the island gets back to normal, they plan to celebrate in more ways and give customers opportunities to enjoy more 15-year-themed specials.
“I have been in this industry since I was 17,” said Garey. “My favorite part about this hasn’t changed. The relationships I have built here make it all worth it. Some of our customers have become our best friends. So, there is no other place that I’d rather be doing business in the Tampa Bay area than Longboat Key.”
