Delray Beach’s Salt7 brings the party to Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale

The coronavirus pandemic has not stopped Delray Beach’s Salt7 from expanding into the heart of tony Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

The Atlantic Avenue hot spot that morphs from a restaurant into a nightclub — or at least it did before COVID-19 regulations put a pause on partying — thinks its new Broward County footprint might open in November, sprawled on the bank of the New River in the Icon Las Olas apartment building at 500 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Like the Delray Beach location, the kitchen will be helmed by executive chef Paul Niedermann, the season 9 winner of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” in 2011 (he returned for appearances in seasons 11, 12 and 15). Salt7 1/4 u2032s shareable plate fare could be described as fashionable takes on classic dishes.

Niedermann says, “I’m very humble, but I will say this: I will have the best crab cake in Fort Lauderdale, because I have the best one in Delray."

A South Florida native and Johnson and Wales University graduate, Niedermann also thinks that Las Olas and Atlantic Avenue are very different from each other.

“I think it’s truly apples and oranges,” says the Boca Raton resident. “I think they are totally different markets 25 miles from each other. I think the market down on Las Olas, it’s ... a little more older, more affluential. They are not looking for the dollar beers. It’s more elevated in the dining and nightlife experience.”

George Valantasis, who co-owns Salt7 with his cousin John Kostoglou, says, "Our motto is ‘Eat, Stay, Play,’ with bottle service, deejays, all of that. We have a 5,000 square foot patio and an outside bar, which is like a building in itself.

“It’s more like a resort by the water," says the Delray Beach resident (who has also taken an apartment in the Icon). "Inside, it’s like a total 4,700 footprint on the first floor. Then there’s a stairwell, elevator up to like a mezzanine for more private dining events. That’s a 2,200 square foot space with a VIP area, a deejay booth. It’s more loungey up top.”

Niedermann — who has fed famous faces such as Hilary Duff, Tyra Banks, Danny McBride and Rob Dyrdek — adds that the street layout of the two hospitality hubs is also different.

“It’s more diner heavy on Las Olas; there’s a lot of restaurants. It’s a lot more spaced out on Las Olas. Whereas on Atlantic, it’s only three blocks of a very saturated market of restaurants and bars and things of that nature. It’s much more tourist heavy in Delray Beach. There’s a bigger local market [with] local people in Fort Lauderdale, and more residential. It’s just a different clientele looking for a different kind of experience.”

Pandemic planning

The expansion into the space on the south side of the Icon has been in the works for two years.

And then, just as construction began, COVID-19 hit and Valantasis had to focus on reopening the Delray Beach restaurant.

“We had the whole staff tested,” Valantasis recalls. “We did everything, the masks, the social distancing, the disinfecting. Is it bullet proof? No. You never know. But we just do the best job we can within our four walls to keep the place clean and safe.”

Niedermann says that his biggest hurdle was coming up with contingency plans and holding lots of meetings to constantly reassess how many people might be needed. It is something he is still wrestling with.

“The biggest challenge that I have now is the unknown," he explains. “From an opening standpoint, I don’t know what I’m opening up to: If I’m opening up to 50% capacity, opening up to 100% capacity, opening up to social distancing, opening up to a 11 o’clock curfew. We don’t know. But we have to prepare and be ready to be 100% full throttle.”

By the time the two could return their attentions to the future Las Olas location, an unexpected bright spot popped up: hiring staff.

“We had over 300 applicants," says Valantasis. “We went through every one of them. It took like two months from beginning to finish. It was crazy. Everyone we talked to, we asked a hundred questions. One of the things that we have found out that is insane is there are so many big concepts, $15 and $20 million dollar restaurants that are shutting down that we got applicants from. You hear about a 1,000 people moving down here a day, and a lot of them are restaurant people.”

Niedermann agrees. “The only positive from this is that there is a lot of amazing talent out there because of COVID and people getting let go of jobs. The hiring of people is a lot deeper than it was in the past. Also, we’re seeing a big influx from other states, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles.”

There’s no place like home

After winning “Hell’s Kitchen,” Niedermann was ensconced at Gordon Ramsey’s BLT Steak in New York City and eventually went on to work at BLT properties in the Hamptons and at Trump National Doral Miami.

“When I was with ESquared Hospitality at the Trump National in Doral, it was my opportunity to come home,” he says. “I was born down here. I love being home. I wanted to be closer to my family.”

Before joining Salt7 almost four years ago, he was at the now permanently closed Hudson at Waterway East in Delray Beach. Before that there were South Florida stints at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort and the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale.

Valantasis says that Niedermann was a good fit for Salt7.

“You know, when you are doing late night bottle service it’s hard getting any kind of credit for having great food,” Valantasis explains. “We knew we wanted a really good guy for the back of the house. Paul checked all the boxes. And he’s the Season 9 winner of ‘Hell’s Kitchen,' so he’s great for marketing. But also he’s a big fisherman. I’m born and raised in Florida and a born fisherman, so we have a lot to talk about. It just works. Certain relationships work.”

And when looking for a second location, Valantasis says that he considered straying, but ultimately decided to stay in South Florida.

“The location is everything. When we were looking for a place we were looking in other states and everything. But ultimately we wanted to stay closer to home. We wanted to be in the general area, but not so close that we cannibalize out business in Delray.”

He says the clincher was the New River.

“The absolute deciding factor was we wanted a waterfront restaurant with a sizable patio,” he recalls. “We just knew the Icon building was the location for us.”

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