The New Normal
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by Stephen Hutson, photographs provided by Catch 27
f you had told me that when Catch 27 opened 10 years ago that we would be hit by two hurricanes and a pandemic, I would have laughed and not believed you. Navigating these storms has taught me so much about my business and our community, I am very proud of what we all have accomplished in these difficult times.
In order to survive we have had to change. Our goal in making changes to the business was to maintain the quality of our product and experience, while improving staff wellbeing. We cut our operating hours by 30% and due to inflation we increased menu prices to maintain our margins. Everything we have done has been well received, which was very surprising. The ripple effects of the virus and supply chain issues have caused the cost of seafood to increase on average 75% throughout the past two years. Some prices have come back down, but the majority have stayed up and will most likely remain there. Unfortunately, we have had to remove certain items entirely from our menu due to scarcity, extremely high prices or both. This is the new normal. Our hope is that things will become more predictable again. Regardless of what comes our way, we will continue to do the next right thing as we plot our course through the coming months and years. n
Stephen Hutson Owner / Operator / Consultant Catch 27 Restaurant LLC The Hutson Group LLC Stephen is a 7th generation Floridian. He loves people, food, and Florida (the 27th State). For him, Catch 27 is all of those rolled into one. St. Augustine became his home in 2005 when he started attending school at Flagler College. While going to school he worked at a local family owned restaurant, where he developed the skills and desire to turn a part time job into a lifelong career.
