Robert W.
Yelp
For most of the past 10 years I've dined at the Palm Beach Grill. Ten years ago it was the place to see and be seen. The who's who of Palm Beach could be found on any given night; author James Patterson, NFL owner Bob Kraft, Michael Jorden, Sly Stallone, and at various times all or some of the Real Housewives. Titans of industry, trust fund babies, and society's front page darlings fought for table space. Regulars such as Michigan Bill could be found at the bar 5 nights per week. The food was excellent and the buzz was exciting. Jeff was the manager and Rebecca RULED the bar with an iron fist that people either loved or hated. The staff knew locals by name and the drinks they consumed.
Unfortunately this is no longer the situation. The food is still okay. The prices, like many places, have skyrocketed. And, that would all be okay if the management staff were better. Jeff moved or retired. There were a couple of managers in between. Nuveen ruled through the Covid fiasco and the beginning and she made certain the beginning of the end was in sight. While most of Florida restaurants adhered to the "Free State of Florida" mantra Palm Beach Grill and the California-led management ran the place into the ground; only 3 people to a table, strong mask mandate, no cash, etc. And the management ran off all of the long time employees. Rebecca suffered and injury and decided never to return. In the period of 2 years the Grill has gone from being the "it" place to a strictly tourism spot. If you expect to visit the grill you can expect good food with much smaller portions and much higher prices. You will not see any of the old regulars. The TV stars, trust fund babies, and industry titans have long departed for better locations. You will now find them at the newly remodeled Cafe L'Europe, LaGoulue, or LeBilboque. At one time you could find ten Rolls Royces stacked into the prime valet parking slots. The $250K Bentleys were relegated to the poor people's parking spots further away. Today, you might find a Bentley in a prime spot and the the rest will be filled with mid-priced BMWs; maybe even a Kia.
This restaurant has gone the way of Taboo. Taboo was once THE place to be. Joe Kennedy is rumored to have had sex with Gloria Vanderbilt in the bathroom. The heir to the Firestone tire fortune was wheeled into the restaurant in a wheelchair because he would get so drunk it was the only way they could move him back to his limo. If the walls at Taboo could talk they would tell the walls at the Palm Beach Grill that the fat lady is singing and unless management gets a grasp of the deteriorating situation they won't survive. Taboo will be closing soon. To be replaced by a jewelry store.
It was easy to see business at the Palm Beach Grill was down substantially this Season. Five or six years ago you couldn't get inside the front door. Reservations were impossible to get unless willing to make them 3-4 weeks out. This Season, during weeknights, it was a virtual ghost town at the bar area; short wait times and few people. Getting a reservation for next week wasn't an issue.
Not one to complain without a suggestion you can begin with these ideas. First, the Honor Bar is the single, most stupid idea in restaurant history. Make it one restaurant. Everyone I know is upset that the menu isn't the same. Two, change your managers. They are simply awful. One must assume they graduated from restaurant management school, did a six month stint at Dunkin' Donuts, landed a $75K per year job with Houstons and now they think they are experts. Wrong. Pay more, get better people. Lastly, change the menu. It has been exactly the same for 10 years. The only change? Prices are higher and portions smaller.
I used to love the Grill. It felt like Cheers. Today it feels like what it is...simply another chain store owned by Houstons.