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Toucan’s Restaurant To Be Sold
06/16/09 - 04:54 PM
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A landmark restaurant in Mexico Beach is in the process of being sold.

This after its owner goes to prison for drug convictions and a buyer backs out of the sale a few months ago.  Toucan’s restaurant has two buyers: brothers from Atlanta, Tony and Mike Malerba.  They are set to close on the restaurant this Friday for $3.6 million.  You may remember, this restaurant has been through a lot in the past few months.

“We’ve been in limbo for quite some time now, wondering who was going to have place or whether we had a job or not,” said current General Manager Robert Graham.

The limbo could be over very soon now.  The people who work here say it’s been difficult.

“We were accused of being druggies and dope dealers which was the furtherist thing from the truth,” Graham said.

The current owner, Paul Francis, is serving 41 months in prison for possession of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  On top of that he has an over $2 million tax lien on his 10 properties in bay county, and an over $300,000 warrant from the Florida Department of Revenue.

“They are doing a lot of really good things and there are a lot of great employees we’re not going to go in and change a lot of things.  We are looking to upgrade some of the service,” said future Head of Operations, Scott Gordon.

“There’s not many places left around in the whole state that you can sit right on the beach like this,” said Gordon.

The new owners want to make it a live music venue as well. 

“We want to take that tiki bar and put live bands out there and different events,” Gordon said.

“Just a place like jimmy buffet has down in the keys or something,” said future owner Mike Malerba.

Tony and Mike Malerba were in the country music business before the restaurant business and want to have a place to hear live music in Mexico Beach.
They also say they want it to remain a family friendly place.