Mar 19, 2024

Grand Opening

By Daniel
Photographer / Cinematographer
✉ [email protected]

FROM ABCACTIONNEWS.COM

At the peak of the pandemic, Danny Lehan and his staff at The Village Inn weathered the storm. As their dining room shut down, they didn’t fold but instead found a way to expand. Lehan has worked for Village Inn since he was 15, so this place is in his blood. “Bought my first car, bought my first house when I was 18, as a server for Village Inn, so yeah,” said Lehan.

CLEARWATER FL – “At the peak of the pandemic, Danny Lehan and his staff at The Village Inn weathered the storm.” by ABC Action News.

I couldn’t have said it any better, because the pandemic was a storm that brought hurdles and hardships for a lot of businesses including mine. As restaurants across the country were shutting down, Danny and his team didn’t fold and instead found a way to expand and to pivot through the storm with drive-thru’s.

When so many other restaurants failed through the storm, Danny and his team did not. Here’s a little video I did that tells this story, which was played for all the staff of all nine Village Inn restaurants:

Staff Reaction Video

Holiday Video

Now that Village Inn on Roosevelt Blvd in Clearwater opened, I was tasked to take photos of the new restaurant with its outdoor seating, full bar, chandelier, and team members serving guests. Everyone had a smile on their face as they were greeted at the door by the welcoming staff. The people were happy to have their photos taken and be part of history of the birth of Danny’s ninth Village Inn restaurant.

The walls are adorned with metal sculptures with colors that pop and grab your attention, the bar has two bronze roosters on top, the plants inside make it feel as if you were dining outside with nature in Spring. This was thanks to Danny’s husband CJ who played a hand in the design and the aesthetics of the new restaurant.

I sat down and had lunch and dinner since I was there for both, and I was again reminded why Village Inn is the ‘breakfast expert’ as I dove into the delicious food and soft buttery pancakes, and not to forget the delicious cappuccino. But I wouldn’t say they are just ‘breakfast experts’ as the dinner was also very good!

The Clearwater Village Inn is located on 2659 Roosevelt Blvd, just a half-hour drive from Clearwater Beach and is open from 6am to 10pm everyday.

Mobile users press play then swipe the photo to start the slideshow of all the photos. ↓