TITUSVILLE, Fla. — As many businesses in retail and the service industry continue to face staffing challenges, a trio of restaurant owners in Titusville have been able to staff up not one, but two new restaurants that opened just over a month apart this winter.

The Paradise Grille opened its doors on November 19 and Café Paradiso opened on December 27.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life, mostly at Central Florida. I’ve opened a lot of major restaurants and when this opportunity came up, I jumped on it,” said Keith Myhre, one of the co-owners of the two new restaurants. 

Myhre said one of his first jobs was helping at his grandfather’s restaurant in Pennsylvania. Some of his other work with restaurants in Central Florida include The Yellow Dog Eats, The Third Wave Café and Caribbean Jacks. 

He said the concept proposed by husband and wife duo Ryan De Sade Way and Gypsy Elise coupled with the opportunity in Titusville was one he didn’t want to pass up. 

“The first thing that sparked my interest was the dynamic growth of Titusville over the last five years and the growth that’s continuing right now,” Myhre said. “This area is on the cusp of a very large growth.”

Café Paradiso offers a combination of both Cuban and Creole cuisine that offers dishes that give the sensation of traveling to Cuba or New Orleans.

Elise, the head chef, was insistent that these culinary cultures remain distinct, but can live harmoniously under one roof. 

“It is not a fusion restaurant. I am not combining Cuban food with a little bit of New Orleans flair. It’s nothing of the kind. Everything that I’m making here is its own priority,” Elise said. “But it sits beautifully alongside every other priority. And part of those priorities are the Creole, the Cajun, the Caribbean and the Cuban.”

The Paradise Grille on the other hand is an American-style grill with some New Orleans elements, like po' boys. 

Some of that Louisiana energy comes not only from the food, but from some employees as well. Part of their 15-employee workforce came with Elise and De Sade Way from New Orleans to work for them in Titusville. 

The couple not only lived and worked in the city for a couple decades, but they also perform as the Grammy-nominated group Gypsy Elise and the Royal Blues, which can range from a duo to a multi-piece band.

While still new to the restaurant scene in Titusville, the trio said they’ve been getting good traction through word of mouth as well, which translated to bringing in some local talent from places like Brevard County and Orlando.

Myhre said while behind the scenes, they feel like the two restaurants are more like one, but split between two buildings, staggering the openings helped with getting their people in place.

“We were able to recruit and train staff that we’re using the café as well as the staff for here in the grille,” Myhre said. “I can’t say we’ve had any difficulty finding staff. Since we’re a counter service restaurant, it doesn’t require as many employees as a full-service restaurant would.”

He said in the six weeks since The Paradise Grille opened, they haven’t experienced any turnover, which he attributes in part to how they treat their employees.

“We treat our staff like family and we make it very clear from the very beginning, we will treat you with respect and we’ll always be straight with you and we expect that in return,” Myhre said.

He and the other two owners also decided to withhold paying themselves for the time being in order to make sure all the bills are paid as well as their staff. Myhre said he doesn’t see that lasting too much longer.

“It was a necessary decision. Eventually, we plan on paying ourselves and reimbursing our startup costs, but we have to build the business first and we’re off to a good start,” Myhre said. “We’re getting caught up fairly quickly and I see this next season with the snowbirds in town, it should be very fruitful.”