Polo Grill celebrates after decade of delights in Lakewood Ranch

I was only 19, but I knew a lot about running a restaurant.

It can be a fickle business, really. One day people can be lined up around the block. The next? Well, you've got more waiters than customers.

So when the parents of one of my good friends approached me at my steady job in the sporting goods section of Woolworths, I was wary.

They were starting a new restaurant and they knew I had experience serving. They asked me to quit my job and join them, and I was certain to make some big bucks.

I took a part-time job with them, and kept my bread and butter. Six months later, they laid me off because their restaurant was floundering. I went back to selling tents and horseshoes full-time.

I don't know if it's that much different today.

A Forbes story in January cited two economists as saying about 17% of restaurants fail in the first year. Other studies, such as one by Cornell, estimated about 60% of restaurants fail in the first three years.

So when the Polo Grill & Bar in Lakewood Ranch celebrated its 10th anniversary with a huge party on Nov. 1, I couldn't help but be impressed.

Oh, I know, when you hear Tommy and Jaymie Klauber, you think about people who have been in the restaurant business for a couple of lifetimes. You think about Pattigeorge’s and the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Longboat Key.

Tommy Klauber's journey as a chef is well documented. After studying at La Varenne’s Ecole De Cuisine in Paris, Klauber worked in restaurants in France, Paris and Amsterdam. He was chef and manager of one of the top restaurants in Aspen, Colo.

So by now ... Tommy just turned 59 ... it's got to be easy. Right?

"I am here upstairs, downstairs in the kitchen, I wear a lot of hats," Tommy Klauber said. "I am the maintenance man, the plumber, the cook. I sign the checks."

Tommy and Jaymie never take 10 years on Lakewood Main Street for granted. Lakewood Ranch is expanding into Sarasota County and the new Waterside Place will be a mecca of restaurants. The Mall at UTC area seems to have a restaurant between every retail outlet, with more on the way.

"There are a lot of restaurants out there," Tommy Klauber said. "I try not to look at what other people are doing. I always have focused on what we do."

Even for veterans, it can be hard.

"This is the most fun you could ever have," Klauber said of being in the restaurant business. Is it challenging? Heck Yeah! But when things go wrong, I seem to like the challenge. I have loved it since the day I started ... I got my first IRS paycheck from The Colony when I was 13. I seem to thrive in a little bit of chaos."

Jaymie and Tommy spent all their time at the party mingling with about 250 friends, family members and patrons. In the background, music by Shevonne Philador and the Force had people up and dancing. Around every corner was another food delight, whether that meant grilled octopus, lamb chops or chocolate-covered bacon. Yes, that's right. Bacon. Who knew?

"So much has happened and changed around here," Jaymie Klauber said. "It's been a great 10 years even though we have faced a lot of challenges.

"We started on Nov. 1, 2007, and the economy tanked immediately after that. That was challenging along with being a business on a brand new street. And, then, competition always is challenging."

But along with the struggles have come victories. "Our catering company has done some incredible things," she said. "And we've done some big community events. Those are things that make it wonderful."

She said business on Lakewood Main is going great and people tend to visit three or four places after they park. But the restaurant business remains a struggle.

As it stands, Tommy Klauber concentrates on each day. On Nov. 1, it was all about a party.

"I think it was one of the best parties we ever have thrown," he said. "I am so proud of our staff. It was a great night for us, a fun night. I thought we showed off what we offer to the community. Everything we presented either is available at the restaurant or through out catering business. People were blown away by the octopus. That makes me excited that people are ready for octopus. I've seen America's tastebuds broaden. It is a pleasure to introduce people to new things."

They've thrown parties on their first, fifth and 10th anniversaries at Polo Grill & Bar. Now starts the work toward another anniversary.

This is not for the feint of heart," Jaymie Klauber said. "You have constant challenges. But making people happy trumps everything else."