South Florida native, John Brewer is a True Floridian through and through. With years of experience as a restaurant manager, from Vegas to Palm Beach, John is currently a real estate broker. As something of a Delray Beach celebrity, John is a family man and a community do-gooder. 

Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, John got together with a buddy, Iain Paterson, to brainstorm a way to drive business to local restaurants during the shutdown. In what they called a way to “flash-mob” a restaurant, they came up with the (now legendary) Socially Distant Supper Club. 

In an interview with The Palm Beach Post, John said, “I started thinking how catering works—you know your orders upfront. You know how much staff you’ll need, how much product you’ll need.” 

From this conceptual thinking, The Socially Distant Supper Club took off. Locals can order dinner ahead of time from a restaurant designated to a specific day on the group’s Facebook page. This proactive thinking allows restaurants to know how much they’re going to sell and how much staff they’ll need. Ultimately a great way for restaurants to keep costs exactly where they need to be and not waste either food or money.

With over 14,000 members and counting, the Facebook group has become a community favorite where restaurants can post menus, specials, and photos and locals can share their distant dining experiences. 

John’s mission was to help local restaurants impacted by the pandemic, and help them he did. Because of his efforts, many restaurants will thrive during the hardship of the past few months and many locals have had an opportunity to try new places. The idea is catching on in other cities as well. John launched the Delray Beach chapter, and there is now a Socially Distant Supper Club in Boca Raton and North Palm Beach, too.

Additionally, John and his friends serve free take-out meals daily at a church in their community for folks in need. Most recently, the served 800 meals in a single week. 

John’s community efforts, innovative thinking, and genuine desire to help others make him a True Floridian. 

Join The Socially Distant Supper Club here.