2 months ago Share Buddy Foy believes state authorities gave him the proverbial finger when it comes to doing business there during the pandemic. Florida, on the other hand, raised another finger: thumbs up.
When now Sen. Rick Scott was governor of Florida, he famously cold-called executives in Cleveland, Chicago and New York on blustery winter days. The pitch was simple: Ditch the Midwest and Northeast, and come down to Florida, where the weather is nice, and state taxes are nil.
Lesson learned
In deciding to leave his New York restaurant and open one in Florida, Buddy Foy says he learned a key entrepreneurial lesson for someone like him, a Type A personality used to solving his own problems: he leaned on the expertise of others, in finding locations, contractors, vendors and more. “Sometimes,” Foy says, “you have to ask others for help.”
The reality series follows the Foy family and three restaurants they run in Bolton Landing, a tourist town at Lake George. Married couple Buddy Foy Jr. and Jennifer Foy, who operate Chateau on the Lake, will also serve as co-owners of The Chateau Anna Maria.
In a phone interview with the Herald-Tribune, Foy Jr. said he already knew Sarasota-Manatee well through family. His parents Cate and Buddy Foy Sr. have lived on Anna Maria Island for more than 20 years, his brother Keith lives in Sarasota and his daughter Summer graduated this year from IMG Academy in Bradenton.
“It’s a very similar environment during the winter in Florida as it was here in the summer, Foy Jr. said. (We said) let’s duplicate what we did, let’s bring our employees and keep them employed, and let’s go for it.