Po’ Boys Creole Café offers Central Floridians a true taste of New Orleans
Orlando, FL─ Stan Marko’s passion for food spurred him to quit his
career in computer consulting four years ago and try
his luck as a sandwich shop owner.
Now the former sub shop franchisee and Orlando native has made the
transition to dinner house operator debuting the first Po’ Boys Creole
Café in the area, a seven-unit New Orleans-style restaurant chain
founded in Tallahassee more than 13 years ago.
Marko is optimistic that his 3,700-square-foot Orlando unit will turn
enough profit to allow him to open a second location within six months.
Marko’s long-term goal is to open five Po’ Boys units in Central
Florida in the next three years with his father and partner.
“I compare Po’ Boys to a dot.com company that’s about to blow up,” he
said. “Po’ Boys is a smaller franchise, but they’re doing something no
one else is doing here.”
Po’ Boys Creole Café serves traditional Creole and Cajun fare,
including gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish, red beans and rice, fried pickles
and their namesake, po’ boy sandwiches.
The concept breaks the mold of traditional Creole eateries by offering
mainstream foods such as wraps, salads and sandwiches, all served at a
reasonable price in a sports bar atmosphere. Sundays feature a
full-service brunch that includes eggs benedict, bananas foster waffles
and beignets.
“The biggest thing to note about the chain is many of the menu items
are made from real recipes that people have used for years,” he said.
“It’s not commercially produced. It has that true New Orleans taste.”
The atmosphere of each Po’ Boys has a distinct New Orleans flavor.
Photographs of landmarks in the Big Easy and Mardi Gras memorabilia
adorn the walls.
Although Marko ran a lucrative sub shop in Winter Park for four years,
the Po’ Boys concept was more appealing to him for several reasons.
“With a smaller sub concept, you’re basically buying yourself a job
unless you open several stores,” he said. “This is kind of a lifestyle.
You have the regulars that come in for a drink, you know the families
that keep coming back on a consistent basis. Anything that lets me stay
in contact with the consumer, that’s what makes me happy.”
Marko brought plenty of his own ideas to the table to help the growing
franchise build profits and a presence in Central Florida.
He implemented a signature menu at his Orlando unit that features 15
specialty items such as steak and quick-seared ahi tuna. He also
reinvented several classic Po’ Boys entrées, including the Awesome Al’s
Shrimp Pie appetizer, by removing it from a pie crust and putting it
into a Portobello mushroom cap.
“These are the things that will take it from a sandwich house to a dinner house,” he said.
Just three blocks from the Universal Studios gate, the former
Friendly’s location that Marko’s Po’ Boys is housed inside enjoys heavy
tourist traffic.
But Marko isn’t counting on out-of-towners to fill his 160-seat
restaurant that features a covered deck, 10 television sets, satellite
sports, NTN trivia and Texas Hold ‘Em Poker.
Local families are his primary target.
“Sitting down at a formal restaurant with my son is torture for me,”
said Marko of his two-year old son Alexander. “My consumer is people
like me, those who want to have a good time but don’t want to leave
their kids at home. We even have a toy box and bench in the lobby for
the kids while families are waiting to be seated.”
Besides providing a family-friendly atmosphere, Po’ Boys Orlando
features catering and to-go curbside service and offers a private
dining area with a projector.
“We took one room and carved out a separate space that will work for a
private party or a business that wants to come in and hold a meeting,”
he said.
Tallahassee has two 2,500-square foot stores which gross $1.5 million
each. Four franchise locations operate in Gainesville, Tampa, Brandon
and Jacksonville.
Po’ Boys Creole Café is located on 4753 S. Kirkman Rd in Orlando, three
blocks from Universal Studios. Call (407) 770-0507 or visit
www.poboys.com for more information.
###
Media Contact:
Krista Zilizi
Quantified Marketing Group
(706) 627-3204
(407) 936-1010
krista@restaurant-public-relations.com
|
|
|
