Lorna’s Caribbean and American Grill in Miami Gardens is ready for Formula 1, and their famous conch soup is the highlight of the menu. Owner Matari Bodei revealed that they only serve their signature soup on Saturdays, which has become very popular in the area. Despite the expected crowd of 600,000 people, customers are willing to brave the traffic for a taste of the soup.
On a busy Saturday, Bodei received about 50 orders for conch soup, which greatly boosted their business by around 20%. However, neighboring businesses like Classy Girl Beauty Supply, owned by Hassan Sam, struggled with thousands of dollars in sales losses during Formula 1 events due to traffic deterring regular customers. Despite this challenge, loyal customers like Junior Correa still made an effort to grab a soup to go and enjoy the race from home.
The proximity to the race event is beneficial for businesses like Lorna’s as they attract customers before, during and after the event. Bodei views any stadium event as an opportunity to increase sales and gain new customers. The CBS Miami team covers stories like this one on CBSMiami.com.
