By: Will Raffier
As of October 2024, Snappy has reported that there are 2,589 restaurants in Jacksonville, Florida and of those restaurants, only a few can provide an authentic, homey feeling. These restaurants in question tend to be family owned.
Two of these restaurants are Rodrigo’s Craft Pizza and Sizemore’s. Both have opened recently and have a strong emphasis on making sure that customers feel like family.
“When you walk through the door, you are met with professionalism, but you are also treated like family,” says Tiziana Sizemore, one of the owners’ wives about Sizemore’s approach to customer relations.
Sizemore’s is a brand-new restaurant located on the beach and offers different types of seafood as well as typical bar food. The two owners, Alex and Daniel Sizemore, opened the restaurant with the goal of combining seafood and style to create a nostalgic, home-cooked meal feeling.
The brothers emphasize serving every dish with a side of cozy energy for every meal. “They give out their personal numbers,” said Tiziana. “They are shaking your hands and giving you a hug when you come in.”
Another aspect of many family-owned restaurants is being owned by minorities. According to the National Restaurant Association, 48% of United States restaurant firms are owned by minorities. The other restaurant, Rodrigo’s Craft Pizza, is not only family owned, but also immigrant owned.
Alex Rodriguez, the owner of Rodrigo’s, recalled how much he had to do when he started the restaurant.
“You’re the marketing guy, you are the direct line with the legal department, community outreach, everything,”—Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also highlights that he has always had to learn as he goes, whether it was his engineering job prior to the restaurant or now as he takes on multiple roles
Food is something that can make strangers feel like family. Jacksonville’s family-owned businesses take this one step further.