Lakeland Business Guide 2019 Chamber Guide_2019 | Page 20

“The community has
really rallied around and
supported us since the
beginning.”
– J E A N N I E W E AV E R
However, like any business endeavor,
there are common challenges owners
may face when opening a new restaurant.
All too often, connecting with the local
community, including local businesses,
can be a struggle for restaurant owners,
regardless of where their storefront is
located. Getting out there, spreading the
word, and building hype can be difficult,
and often make or break a restaurant’s
long-term success. Though these are
very real concerns, the Chamber has
discovered the key to effectively unlocking
community buy-in which can be seen in
the restaurant industries’ rapid growth.
“With over 1,400 members [81 of which
are restaurants], the Lakeland Chamber of
Commerce is one of the larger Chambers
in Florida,” says Miller. By leveraging
their abundant contacts, and creating
ongoing opportunities for collaboration, the
Chamber makes it possible for restaurants
to showcase their cuisine to a wider
demographic from day one.
Each month, the Chamber hosts
networking events sponsored by various
Chamber members. 2Infinity hosted one
a few months back, and, “Instead of just
choosing one restaurant to cater the event,
they invited six different restaurants to
come in,” says Miller. “It was almost like
a restaurant highlight showcase. They
had Cracker Barrel, Duke’s Brewhouse,
and Little Greek there. All of them were
Chamber restaurants who had the chance
to bring samplings of their food and
highlight their catering services.”
Chamber events like these are
invaluable for restaurant owners. “At these
networking events we have local business
leaders who will be holding meetings and
parties, and they are going to be searching
for delicious catering options,” says Miller.
She has observed that, “The growth
isn’t all just happening downtown; it
is expanding in all directions, moving
further south and north.”
She recently attended a Lakeland
Chamber ribbon cutting for Jade Fox
Wine Bar & Lounge, a new business
located in the Winn-Dixie plaza off of
Lakeland Highlands Road. “It’s such
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