A TASTE OF HAWAII: POKÉ RESTAURANT IN WEST PALM
They don’t have any experience. But they have a lot of enthusiasm, hope to start a new food franchise.
So many people wonder what it would be like to open their own business. It’s a constant thought that some carry for years. We think we have the perfect idea, the perfect place, the perfect product, but then our fears get in the way and stop us from taking a leap of faith.
This is not the case for the owners of a new restaurant, Pipeline Poké Co., which opened earlier this month at South Dixie Highway and Evernia Street in West Palm Beach.
Steve Schweighardt, 55, of Hobe Sound; Ben Bussey, 58, of Jupiter; and his nephew, Robert Bussey, of Midland, Texas, aren’t like the rest of us. They didn’t carry around a good idea for too long before making it a reality. A little more than a year ago, Schweighardt helped his recently married daughter move to Redondo Beach, California, and saw his soon-to-be idea in action. It was there he noticed all the poke res- taurants along the Pacific coast.
What is Poké? Well, for starters, it’s pronounced poh-kay. It means “sliced” or “cut” in Hawaiian, and it usually refers to a bowl with sliced raw fish mixed with fresh vegetables such as edamame, shredded carrots and jalapeños, tossed in a variety of sauces such soysau ce, cilantro lime or Sriracha mayo.
could see people lined up all day long in front of these restaurants,” recalled Schweighardt. “I said: ‘What the heck is going on here?’ Finally, we got in there to eat,andIs aid: ‘This is really neat.’ It was healthy and there were old people and young people, a variety of generations enjoying it.”
Schweighardt was so surprised and excited that he called Ben Bussey, his good friend and nextdoor neighbor back in The Shores of Jupiter.
“Why don’t we have poke bowls in Palm Beach County?” he asked Bussey. “The demographics is right, the weather is right.”
B us seysai di twas pretty much a go within four to five months of their first conversation. He didn’t need muc h convincing. Then Bussey called his nephew, Robert. They needed Robert to be on board as one of the investors. The guys were committed to the concept and determined to find the perfect location in Palm Beach County.
Mind you, none of them had worked in the food industry, and they’d certainly never owned a restaurant before. Bussey has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry, selling software and technical solutions. Scheweighardt owned a car wash business for more than 40 years. And Robert Bussey works in the oil industry in Texas.
But their lack of experience in the culinary world didn’t dissuade
them. The two who live in Florida, Scheweighardt and Bussey, did consider themselves “backyard chefs,” after all. And aside from cooking, they also have a lot of things in common like golfing, fishing, going out on the boats with their families and hosting house parties.
“We both liked to show each other recipes,” Ben said. “Growing up here (in Palm Beach County), I had some things he’d never seen, and (Schweighardt), growing up in New Jersey, certainly had things I’d never seen. We’ve had Super Bowl parties and barbecues for years.”
But opening a restaurant isn’t the same as cooking for your neighbor or being tight friends. This idea was a risk in many ways. For one, poké isn’t as known as, say, pizza or tacos (would people stop by?). Two, there’s no other place in the county that sells this dish as a reference (would the raw fish bowls sell?). And three, these guys’ work experience is far from forks and knives (could the owners handle a restaurant with no experience?). For the past year and eight months, the three owners have been doing market research, experimenting with chefs to find the perfect taste for their sauces, finding only top-quality vendors and investing a big chunk of money into this new project, among other things.
“Our goal is to make this into a north Palm Beach County brand. We’re a fun demographic, we’re tropical and you really can’t make these bowls unhealthy. It would be very hard,” said Schweighardt.
The restaurant is bright, with white and navy blue walls and accents. The floors are a light gray tile, which gives the illusion of coastal wood. There are screens with surfing and beach life videos, a variety of Kona Brewing Co. beers and Copa wines, with mochi ice cream coming in the near future to accompany your customized poke bowl.
Depending on the success of this new restaurant, the owners hope to expand to Wellington, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens.