SRQ Magazine article - From Family Table to Restaurant Staple

Check out our article in Sarasota Magazine. 
http://www.srqmagazine.com/cameos/18/From-Family-Table-to-Restaurant-Staple

From Family Table to Restaurant Staple 
The Thai Fry from The Clam House has gained popularity since it's menu debut.

Kyle and Deanna Brinkley are the kind of people that do everything. As if a successful restaurant with a next door neighbor isn’t enough to keep them incredibly busy, they also own a clam farm (that recently added a crop of oysters that will be ready next fall) and wholesale business. Kyle designs and builds boats. And on top of that, they raised a family on Joe Island. One thing is clear when you meet Kyle: he attributes a large portion of his success in commercial fishing, clam farming, boat building and family-rearing to having great mentors along the way. One particular mentor, a sushi chef and customer of his fishing business from over 30 years ago, hosted a dinner and served up something so delicious that it has stayed with he and Deanna all these years.

 

The Thai Fry 
As it happens when you are a fisherman and clam farmer, his mentor asked Kyle to bring fish to the infamous dinner party. Freshly caught mangrove snapper came with Kyle and Deanna to the party. Cleaned, fried whole and served to hungry guests, the simple preparation meant that every bit of the smaller, harder to fillet fish was enjoyed with minimal preparation and waste. Similar dishes of whole fish are common in Thai cooking, and when Deanna began replicating the dish at home with the fish Kyle brought home each night, the Thai Fry was born. Perfect for hungry, growing boys with massive appetites, Deanna began serving the Thai Fry to her family around their kitchen table on Joe Island.

 

When the couple opened The Clam House, it didn’t take long for Deanna to test the waters and offer the Thai Fry on the menu. Since it is prepared with game fish that aren’t commercially viable, the Thai Fry is a nightly special with a highly limited supply. Each night, Deanna prepares a single Thai Fry list that all servers share that lists the available fish for that evening – including the quantity of each type of fish and their respective weight. Since the first night, it has been such a hit that regulars call in advance to reserve not a table, but their very own fish. Once a fish from the Thai Fry list is ordered, it is crossed off for the night. 

The Thai Fry varies each night depending on Kyle’s daily catch – but you can often find hogfish, mangrove snapper, vermillion snapper and sheepshead on the ever-changing list. Difficult to catch commercially, regular customers know that the same good people preparing their favorite Thai Fry catch in the kitchen of The Clam House are the same ones who caught it in the gulf that day. Prices are set by the pound and the Thai Fry is served with fresh sides made with locally sourced ingredients. 

The Dish that Names a Boat

With the success of The Clam House and an increasing demand for fresh fish to serve up every night, Kyle set out a build a boat. Much like The Field of Dreams, he built it. And people came to the restaurant to enjoy his harvest of clams and all sorts of seafood. Custom designed and built by hand, he named his fishing vessel the Thai Fry, an homage to a dish that has sustained his family for more than 30 years and is now one of many things that makes his restaurant special. A hybrid design of an offshore racing and fishing boat, the intuitive design is perfectly built for the types of fish that Kyle is out to catch for the nightly Thai Fry, and to make the trips from 15-80 miles off the coastline quicker. Taking over two years to build, the Thai Fry is a vessel that feels as personal to Kyle and Deanna as their restaurant does. 

Locally Owned and Full of Charm  

While the Thai Fry is a little bit of family tradition served up fresh each night at The Clam House, other traditional favorites are a big part of the menu. Generous seafood platters, wild caught shrimp, smoked amberjack dip and of course, Joes Island clams are served fresh each night. For more exotic cravings, hand rolled sushi is made fresh to order and offers complex and satisfying flavors of seafood made with simple ingredients. These meals and the Thai Fry are served nightly at The Clam House in Palmetto. For more information on their restaurant and hours of operation, visit their website at TheClamHouse.com

What our staff member Alex Strott thinks about the Clam House.

I have watched The Clam House grow substantially in only four years, from the start I was always around helping with the clam business, and when Kyle Brinkley told me he was opening a restaurant, I knew right away becoming a part of that restaurant was a short term goal of mine, not just for the money, but for the skills to always have the experience that comes with working at a restaurant like the Clam House.

I have learned so many things from working here, one of the main things being: how to please the customer. If you can do that, then you have it made. The Clam House I believe has molded me into more of a well-rounded, likeable guy that is not just looking a day ahead, but looking years ahead at what this little gold mine is bringing to the locals in Palmetto, and many others that drive more than 30 minutes, passing many other restaurants, just to eat at The Clam House.

I want to always be a part of the Clam House because the motifs here are simple, keep people coming back and bringing more of their friends! What makes this place special is the way we get people in there to try it, it is not because of our location or special coupons we have, but from word of mouth. That is our key advertiser, we want people to come in because they are curious about what people are raving about, not to just have a meal under 20$ and not come back. Since I have been working at this establishment (4 years) I have watched the regular customer base grow and grow, now on certain nights our servers are able to take three to four tables of just all regulars, these regulars aren’t just paying customers, they are part of the family! They have watched us grow and I have learned so many things from just listening to their conversations and taking in whatever knowledge they may have for me.

Another reason why I enjoy working here is because of our menu, I know exactly where all the fish come from and on top of that, I know that what we advertise is what we sell! Also with Kyle doing a five star job on monitoring our fish inventory and going out fishing when need be, we have the quality of selling the freshest fish out there, and knowing that it came from our local waters and not out of state of even out of this country.

I have never realized how hard it is to create a striving restaurant and how many 80+ hour weeks it takes to make a place prosper, until I worked here, and now it makes me thankful for everything that Kyle and Deanna Brinkley do to supply us with a great job and to supply the customers with the best of seafood and an unforgettable visit. I would not want to work anywhere else around here, and I will always promote The Clam House and will always stand behind our service.

www.theclamhouse.com

The Roots of a Family Tree Begin with Planting a Seed....

Can you be a family if you're not blood?

 Can friends be the family you create?

 What is the need for family?

Relationships create an atmosphere which enables one to explore and expand rather than having to learn survival skills or respond to danger. Belonging to a group or community gives a sense of identity with an understanding that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. The connection also creates a mutual respect for each other’s differences.

Friends are family, which you create. People chose their friends based on mutual likes, interests and beliefs. Friends usually accept each other as they are. Friends encourage each other to maximize their human potential and respect each other's differences.

The Clam House is its own community. The staff is comprised of blood relatives, diverse nationalities, and different age groups. There is a core belief and value system that exists among all the members: a mutual respect, closeness, and love for each other.

Feeling of family takes precedence in the business. The Brinkley’s take pride in how they treat their staff, whether it be positive daily encouragement, rallying the troops before opening, or lending an ear to concerns regarding their personal life. The staff is the face of The Clam House; it must be an extension of its owners for success. Thus, the staff members are the roots, limbs, and leaves that make up the family tree. The roots spread wide, making sure the day to day

operations run smoothly, while the leaves and branches are the protective canopy under which the customers take refuge.

When it comes to hiring at The Clam House, the staff is encouraged to seek perspective employees from their own network. Who better than they to decide with whom they want to work, knowing the prospect's work ethic, and who ultimately can become part of “The Family?” When a business has the fortune of using their own family members, and the chance to use their inner resources as an avenue based on mutual likes, interests and beliefs, how can you loose?

The staff takes their family bond very seriously. They make the final decision as to whether or not the new, potential member will make the cut into the “clan.” The staff are partners, not employees. Because they take such pride at working for the Brinkley establishment, they even govern themselves and look out for each other outside of work.

One advantage of being hired at The Clam House is being part of a philosophy that new prospects are considered without any preconceived ideas or beliefs. Hirees are welcomed as they are and encouraged to engage and grow within the company. But they first have to pass the test of osmosis, or blending in to the culture that has been created!

When traveling on an airplane, the attendants instruct, ”In case of an emergency ...make sure to put the oxygen mask on first before attempting to help someone else."

Our customers are also an extension of our family tree, but first, we must have a strong inner core before we attempt to help someone else, or give service. The strong belief in our product and our firm foundation are what keep our customers returning. The veteran staff, which has been at The Clam House from nearly the beginning, is the heart of the root structure. We have Florian, the craft beer snob, who has been educated in the different kinds of draft beer we carry. And there' s Alex, who knows all about fish and fishing the Gulf of Mexico. Savannah’s warm greeting is always welcoming to our many customers. Last but not least, Maegan’s vast knowledge about the history of The Clam House can provide answers to inquisitive customers. All are the food that fertilizes and the catalyst that holds together the structure of the core.

The Clam House is bigger than the Brinkley’s. It is a sense of family within a community that extends far and wide, with patrons visiting from England, China, Canada, and all across the U.S.

The Clam House is a connection of unity within diverse circumstances. This was a dream that was never dreamt but one that is cherished.......

What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life – to be with each other in
silent unspeakable memories.

– George Eliot Read

www.theclamhouse.com

What is Innovation?

What is Innovation?

Enriching people's lives and helping others

 achieve their dreams.

Innovation is fundamentally a contradiction. Although it offers notable improvement to your business, it also presents disruption and change. It can dramatically enhance your competitive advantage, while at the same time putting your existing business at risk. It can create prolonged growth, while threatening known, existing success elements. 

Kyle Brinkley has always been an innovator, no matter what the industry. Taking a risk to start a clamming operation that is located between two other farming towns one being, 168 miles south of Cedar Key, the clam capital of Florida, and 94 miles north of Pine Island, Florida, was a risk that was right up his alley.  This operation has grown into a lucrative, year-round business.

Offshore fishing enabled Kyle to be an innovator in the boat-building world.  There was a need for speed in an industry that was known to pack your bags for a week of fishing before returning home with the catch.  This routine could not work for Kyle, who must be able to bring back fresh, quality fish to his clients. He was not willing to settle or conform to the norm, because thinking outside the box is his way of life, at whatever the cost.  So he designed, built, and equipped his own boat, which allowed daily trips to attain his goal.

Kyle's experience and connection to the fishing industry led to the establishment of a seafood restaurant, his latest venture.  Another risk, but proof that a person with these traits succeed.

Steve Jobs of Apple believes in these 7 principles:

1)  Do what you love
2)  Put a dent in the Universe3)  Creativity is connecting things
4)  Say NO to 1,000 things
5)  Create insanely great experiences
6)  Master the Message
7)  Sell Dreams, not Products
   

Kyle, like Steve Jobs, brings all these qualities into his businesses.

Do what you love - What makes your heart sing?
Whether is creating a new vessel for an industry, planting millions of clam seed, or delivering his fresh fish to the tables at his restaurant, the Clam House, he is living his passion.


Put a dent in the Universe - The role of a leader is to hire the best people and keep them directed at achieving the vision. Keep your team in the big picture. Both Kyle’s clam farm and his restaurant have employees who have been with him for 4 to 12 years. They are his partners in business, not employees, and they want to be a part of Kyle’s vision.  They love the business and life tutoring that he offers them.


Creativity is connecting things - Bombard your mind with new experiences and ideas completely outside your chosen field.
Starting a restaurant from scratch was something that was completely out of Kyle’s comfort zone, and it did bring years of discomfort, but was worth it in the end to see how many lives he has touched.


Say no 1,000 times - Sometimes you have to remove the clutter and focus on the product you want to highlight. Being innovative means to have 100% focus and to stick with the course at hand, not to be swayed by people who don’t see the vision. This was a must for Kyle when people told him his restaurant business was not a good idea. He always believes in and has 100% focus in all his visions.

Create insanely great experiences - Create broader visions and exceptional experiences for every customer, every time. The Clam House is a unique restaurant that attracts locals who know Kyle either personally or through his many fishing stories. One of his specialty dishes is the Thai Fry, a fresh, whole fish that is fried. There are different varieties of fish that hit the Clam House dock daily. These are listed on the menu nightly along with his unique sushi that is also created with his fresh fish.


Master the Message – Be a great storyteller. Share great ideas and convince others to take action. Kyle is always sharing his entrepreneurial stories, from his youth when selling golf balls harvested from ponds, to the multitudes of boats he has built from the floor up.   He is a master storyteller and makes any task or endeavor look simple. His stories enthrall many.

Sell Dreams, not Products – Enrich lives. Create messages and ideas that help people achieve their dreams and you will win them over. The biggest fishing tournament of the year was approaching and the employees of The Clam House asked Kyle if he would sponsor them. None of the boys had a boat that was sea worthy enough for the event. Kyle and his son were in the process of building a boat and offered to teach the boys the process if they all volunteered their time. 

Kyle felt that this was a once in a lifetime learning experience and opportunity for the kids to achieve the knowledge of how to properly build a boat with the proper guidance, learn how to work as a team and...
To Know No Obstacle Is Too Big.

You can have any dream and make it reality!



Whether it’s being innovative or a pioneer, trying something new or finding a way to achieve better results, this is what changes the competitive advantage and keeps Kyle on top!

Here are some of his innovations
to help others enrich their lives and achieve their dreams.

3 - personal offshore performance commercial fishing boats: 26’, 38’,, 43’

43’ Mother Fisher #1 – Joto’s Japanese Steak House

36’ Outback Steak House – Team Hover

41’ Paciano Painting – Slave Driver

42’ Nachmans Native Seafood – Fish Cutter

45’ Butler Technologies – Reality Check

32’ Catamaran – Cabinet Specialties

32’ Commercial Harvesting Vessel – Long Island

32’ Tuna Fishing Boat – Montauk Point, LI

2- 32’ Catamaran

Soon to be 24’ Offshore to add to the collection.

www.theclamhouse.com

8/8/2015