Grumpy’s Restaurant “A fifth Grumpy’s is happy news for hungry residents” Featured On ClayTodayOnline.com.
By Wesley LeBlanc wesley@opcfla.com
CLAY COUNTY – There’s a new Grumpy’s coming to town.
Anyone familiar with Clay County food is familiar with Grumpy’s delicious breakfasts and lunches. Its history goes way back in the area with its original Orange Park location still in operation today and the eatery just opened up a new location in Middleburg. It has a third location set for St. Johns County and a fourth with its sights set on Yulee.
If everything goes according to plan, the fifth Grumpy’s will find its home right here in Clay County.
“We’re very optimistic and open, but we really want to be in Clay County,” the newest Grumpy’s franchisees, Tracy and Michael Yarbrough, said. “It’s our first choice. It just depends on timing and location. If our first Grumpy’s doesn’t open in Clay County, we will do all we can to open our second here.”
The Yarbrough’s live in Green Cove Springs and while they’re partial to the city when it comes to picking a location, no area in Clay County is off the table. That’s because a lot of factors go into picking a new restaurant location, according to CEO Daniel DeLeon.
“There’s no definitive location yet for Tracy and Michael but they want to be in Clay and we want them in Clay as well,” DeLeon, who graduated from Clay High in Green Cove Springs, said. “I’m a Clay County resident. My wife and I’s kids go to school here. It’s our home and we’d love to have as many Grumpy’s restaurants as possible here.”
DeLeon said they’ve been looking hard in the Green Cove Springs and Fleming Island areas of the county. Orange Park and Middleburg already have Grumpy’s locations so Green Cove Springs and Fleming Island are the next logical conclusions.
“A lot of it is about timing, when the space is available, how we’re able to deal with the landlord, whether or not the location is on the right side of the road and more,” DeLeon said.
Tracy has been a dental hygienist for the past eight years. Before that, she worked in the service industry doing everything from bartending to serving to hosting for local companies and national brands alike. Michael served in the U.S. Army and Florida National Guard from 1998 to 2013 handling things like military finances, financial technology, insurance and more.
“So, when we looked at this opportunity to call a Grumpy’s our own, we saw ourselves as a front and back-end duo,”
Michael said. “Tracy has the experience running the front end of the house and I have the knowledge for the more paper side of things like profits and analytics. This is about us marrying those two sets of experience together.”
The Yarbroughs and DeLeon were friends before becoming business partners, but don’t let that fool you. The Yarbroughs went through the same processes as anyone else wanting a franchise. DeLeon said he and Michael coached their children in tackle football and grew to be friends.
He said Michael had picked his ear about Grumpy’s and owning a restaurant in general and while the two discussed the possibility of working together, Michael never outright asked for a franchise. That’s because behind the scenes, the Yarbroughs were applying through Grumpy’s standard franchisee application process.
“I had no idea he went online and filled out the franchise application,” DeLeon said. “We briefly spoke about their interest, but I didn’t know they were that interested. I saw their names and was like, ‘Wait, is this the Tracy and Michael I know?’”
DeLeon said they made a great fit for the Grumpy’s family and now the three are working together to find the home of the fifth location.
“Anyone in our team has to fit in with our core values,” DeLeon said. “They have to stay true to the passion we have for southern hospitality and homestyle cooking...you know, everything you experience when you come to Grumpy’s.”
DeLeon said the company avoids blind investors more interested in making money because they prefer to find quality partners who care about the community they’re serving. The Yarbroughs said they want their location to be like the others: a place where someone can come in multiple times a week and get the same service and delicious food they always get.
The Yarbroughs knew they wanted to open a restaurant, but how exactly did they land at Grumpy’s? Why not open a different restaurant as a franchisee duo or why not open their own restaurant? For them, it was that Grumpy’s was doing everything that appealed to them about the business.
They love that it’s early morning breakfast hours and lunch hours which allow them to be out by 2 p.m. so they can pick up their children from school, help them with homework and be active in their extracurricular activities. Then there’s the food side of it.
“Grumpy’s is incredible,” Tracy said. “From the food to the people and the service...it’s what we love so much about it. Being a part of this great company and its growth in North Florida, which is also growing, was really exciting for us.”
They said they also love that Grumpy’s average price for a meal is $10.
“Once we looked at our checklist of what we were looking for, we realized Grumpy’s checked every box...so here we are,” Michael said.
The couple and DeLeon are still determining where they want the new Grumpy’s, but they’re doing all they can to keep it in Clay County. For now, DeLeon will stay busy opening up the next three restaurants, including that of the Yarbroughs, while Tracy and Michael make their way through this process enjoying their favorite Grumpy’s meals: a Philly cheesesteak with onion rings and a waffle for Tracy, and a classic waffle breakfast or rodeo burger for Michael.
For more information, visit: www.GrumpysRestaurantCo.com/Grumpys-Blog
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