ORLANDO, Fla. – Not many can put ‘the health inspector eats here’ on the marquee of their restaurant, but Michael Heretick can.
“I had the same health man for 20 years, and he would eat at the restaurant and boy, he would tell me some war stories,” he said.
Recommended Videos
Heretick, also known as Harry, is the founder of Orlando staple High Tide Harry’s. The family-owned and operated restaurant has entered its 30th year in business.
Located at 4645 S. Semoran Blvd. It is known for its ‘reel’ seafood — serving crab, shrimp, fish and more.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
“There’s always something special on the menu, but when you come here, you’re going to get the best seafood you could possibly get, and I’ll back that up,” he said.
Not only that, for those who don’t like seafood (or who are allergic to it, like Heretick’s son, Brennan, who is the General Manager) there are other items on the menu such as ribs, steak and burgers.
“I got to have something to eat,” Brennan, also known as Harry Jr., said.
The restaurant officially opened its doors on July 6, 1995, and it plans to celebrate in style – by having live music, offering a special promotion for that weekend and creating commemorative T–shirts. More details on the event will be announced in the months ahead, Brennan said.
Meanwhile, as many Central Florida restaurants closed its doors, and others face economic strain the father and son duo notes that this milestone was not an easy feat.
They faced two restaurant closures, fires, floods, hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When I look back at those times, we really had a good time. We had fun doing it. It was wild, but we had everybody pull together. We have always had a really, really good staff, and that’s one of our recipes for success,” Michael said.
The two High Tide Harry’s locations closed due to storm damage and wanting to open in a bigger space, the duo said. They have operated in their current space for the past 15 years, and they do not have any plans to open more restaurants or franchise the brand, they said.
There are about 60 employees working in the 7,000 square-foot restaurant — with four that have worked with the Heretick’s since opening. Brennan has worked with his dad since he was 16, starting as a host and working his way up.
They both mentioned one of the key ingredients in their recipe for success is having this great team.
“We got a great, great company culture, and a lot of people that care,” Brennan said. “In times of toughness, I think if you lean on friends and lean on family and you just put your heads together and you have a positive attitude, there’s nothing that you can’t overcome.”
To add on, Brennan said the other reason why they have stayed open throughout the years is never sacrifice on the quality of the food. Michael even said he would rather close shop than compromise and sell cheap products.
“They say good food ain’t cheap and cheap food ain’t good. So, we try to make sure our product is as good and we offer it for a fair price,” Brennan said.
All in all, the father-son duo both want to thank the community for its continued support — especially during tough times such as in 2020. Meanwhile, when it comes to looking at what the next decade looks like for the restaurant, Brennan said, he and his family are just taking it one day at a time.
“I don’t know if the future holds another restaurant or anything, but certainly we’re going to continue to try to make High Tide Harry’s better every single day that we set foot in there. And so, where that brings us in ten years, I’m just excited as you are to figure that out,” Brennan said.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: