He’s been wowing South Florida diners since 1980, but opening by the end of October is what restaurateur Burt Rapoport hopes will be his “signature” achievement.
Called Deck 84—the 260-seat, 15,000-square-foot eatery at 840 E. Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach— will have 150 feet of dock space on the Intracoastal. The spot was formerly home to Busch’s Seafood.
“I still get excited,” says Rapoport, 60, who currently owns Henry’s, Bogart’s and Max’s Grille—all in Boca Raton. “But now it’s a different kind of excitement because there’s only a finite number of restaurants I’ll be opening in the future. I’m really savoring this one. I’m really enjoying the process because I don’t know how many more of these I’m going to do.”
His South Florida restaurant resume goes back 1980 at Raffles restaurant in Miami and includes stops in Fort Lauderdale (Max’s Beach Place), Hollywood (Jazziz) and West Palm Beach (Clematis Social). Altogether, he’s had ownership in 20 different concepts. Rapoport says he signed a 25-year lease in Delray Beach.
Deck 84 will have a modern resort casual vibe and will feature fresh fish of the day along with favorites from Rapoport’s other properties: baked spinach dip, black Angus sliders, chicken lettuce wraps, Bogart’s burger and flat breads from Henry’s.
Chuck Gittleman, executive chef at Bogart’s, will add Deck 84 to his responsibilities.
PHOTO: Burt Rapoport
