by Soudabah Moayedi
July 20, 2021
The Avenue has graced our bellies and taste buds for almost ten years! From there fun atmosphere, great food, yummy drinks, and over fifty TVs it’s very hard to not find something you love at The Avenue DTSP. We had the chance to sit down and talk with Stephen the owner of The Avenue DTSP and learn how he has been able to grow over the past ten years as a business and a business owner.
Stephen is a business owner that is not scared of a challenge! Not only does he run The Avenue DTSP, but he also runs Parks & Rec which has two locations, No Vacancy, and BallPark & Rec located in Tropicana Field. To say this man is busy is an understatement, but yet he seems perfectly at ease surrounded by his day to day tasks as a business owner. The hustle and bustle of a restaurant is normal to him being from the hospitality world. He started as a busboy and worked his way through various other careers before coming back and opening up a restaurant.
For him it's very important to keep the balance of happy employees and happy customers. He knows when the people working for him are happy and thriving then the customers can feel it as well. We sat recording at his restaurant and could see how busy his employees are, but the ones who passed us always had a smile to share with their boss. We even got a sample of a drink a bartender created while we grabbed a snack after the interview.
Stephen and The Avenue DTSP are a great example of what can be accomplished when you believe in the power of teamwork and community. We are proud to say that The Avenue DTSP is a local hangout upholding the core values of Downtown St. Petersburg and adding to the unique culture of our downtown scene. We wish them another wonderful ten years of success!
You can hear more life wisdom from Stephen on his episode of Good Morning St Pete wherever you listen to your Podcasts!
