BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A Boynton Beach restaurant owner is staying optimistic as he prepares to expand his family business during the pandemic.
Anthony Barber, the owner of Troy's BBQ, is hiring more than two dozen positions for a new location on Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach.
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Barber understands his latest venture comes with risk, but he's determined to see the project he started in January come to fruition.
"We're just not quitters," said Barber. "We try to finish what we start."
He originally planned to open the West Palm Beach site in March, but that's when the coronavirus started to spread in Florida.
"One thing I got from my dad growing up was that it was important to be a finisher," Barber said.
He continues to operate the family business his father, Troy Davis, opened in 1996.
However, the last six months have been challenging as Barber balances a staff of 70 employees at the Boynton Beach and Boca Raton locations.
"The hospitality industry is suffering," said Barber.
Troy's BBQ has adapted to new guidelines and focused on making sure his customers' needs are met.
"We're seeing about 20 to 25 deliveries going out at both locations every day," Barber said. "That's pretty big for us because we're not primarily delivery."
Since 25 percent of Barber's business is delivery orders, Troy's BBQ partnered with Delivery Dudes to address the new demand.
Delivery Dudes is a food delivery service based in Delray Beach.
The company was established in 2009 and has served customers in more than 70 cities in Florida, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
"We continue to be there for a lot of our restaurant partners," said Christopher Leary, director of operations for Delivery Dudes.
Delivery Dudes is currently hiring 50 positions, including several drivers from North Miami to Jupiter.
"We're staying busy," said Leary. "We started a personal shopping service, and we helped the community get groceries when things got really got scary."
Leary credits the company's success to the core values that celebrate teamwork to ensure excellent customer service.
"Don't be afraid to change," said Leary. "Being able to pivot and move quickly in these sorts of environments is important. As long as you keep focused on making customers happy, making employees happy and making contractors happy, then you're going to make some moves."
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