Who? Gordon Davis, 55, is the force behind the rapidly expanding Ceviche restaurant group that originated in South Tampa, as well as former owner of SoHo pioneer Le Bordeaux. He's hoping to open his newest venture in Tampa, Smoke on Platt, before the end of the year.
Sphere of influence: The son of Helen Gordon Davis, the former state senator, and Al Davis, founder of a large wine distributor, Gordon Davis had his feet in both politics and hospitality from the beginning. Davis was one of the originators of the vibrant dining and shopping district we now call SoHo. He's been a passionate supporter of small business in the Bay area and helped start the Tampa Independent Business Alliance in 2001. Davis expanded the Ceviche restaurant concept across the Bay last year and will soon open locations in Orlando and Sarasota, with the help of several longtime employees who have bought into the company over the past few years.
How he makes a difference: Like any successful entrepreneur, Davis tries to identify unmet needs in the community and satisfy them. In the process, he's learned not to make his businesses dependent on him, bringing together a successful team for each endeavor. That said, you can immediately see how passionate he feels about each new project: These days, just a few weeks from the opening of the latest Ceviche, he's pretty much living at the new restaurant site.
CL: Why did you get into the restaurant industry?
Davis: I was around the business a lot. I found this place for sale [the restaurant that would later become Le Bordeaux] and got the fever. I kind of back-ended into it. It chose me. … I [recently] taught a class called restaurant doctoring, and the first thing I told them is to get a good shrink and really think about what they're doing, because it can't be profit-motivated. It's so easy to lose your ass if you open a restaurant; with the highest rate of failure of any business — over 90 percent the first year — why would you? You need to have a love of service.
Why are you still in the business?
Ceviche has been incredibly successful. We've been open 10 years and showing double-digit increases every year. … My employee-owners made me keep going. They came to me and said, "Gordon," (they knew I was going to retire) "we think this is the most exciting concept we've worked for, please don't leave, we want to see how far we can take it." They talked me into it. They've got me for another three to four years.
You were in on the ground floor of "SoHo." What was that like?
My whole extended family, we've always been a part of Tampa. I feel that I've been an emissary of this place. I started SoHo, I named SoHo; I got together with a few people, David [Laxer] at Bern's, we talked about concepting this dining district. … We knew it was coming, we wanted to encourage independents here, and the city adopted it. It worked.
How do you motivate people to buy into your plans?
I talk about ideas until I start hearing them back. … If I really feel like there's enough momentum behind it, I can make it happen. Sometimes it's just selling myself.
What's stopping Tampa from making the next step?
I think what's appropriate to talk about is the political apathy here. I think there's a mindset that's been in Tampa a long time that's holding us down: to protect the status quo. There's a lot of old money that isn't forward-thinking. They resent and resist change. That's going to hold us down. … We've got a long way to go really. Do I think it will happen? Yeah, I guess so. I just hoped it would happen sooner than this, you know?
As a businessman, what's the best thing about operating in Tampa?
I think for forward-thinking people, people who have been exposed to bigger markets, it's ripe. It's great for people who come in and develop concepts here. But it's not there yet. It's still a little behind the times.
What's the biggest problem facing business owners in Tampa?
There are horrible obstructionists here. I'd rather build a new business in any community other than Tampa. I've been 12 months trying to open the smokehouse [Smoke on Platt] because of permitting issues, and it shouldn't be … I've seen other administrations here that are more cooperative and helpful, but it doesn't exist right now. It needs to change.
How would you fix it?
There should be a liaison in the mayor's office dealing with how to develop a creative class in this town. I'm part of that. I think we need a great economic development office focused on what we need, to bring small business in and make Tampa a more livable city, not concentrate on just big business. They get all the attention because they help the tax base. But it's not what makes our quality of life better.
Any worries that the expanding Ceviche will soon reflect chain culture?
You try to give a legitimate experience to people that doesn't get diluted by growth. If you can keep integrity in your product, it doesn't get watered down and generic.
Who influences you?
My parents, my partner Lorena. But business-wise, I'm pretty much my own drummer.
This article appears in Oct 3-9, 2007.