Gather, eat and drink at The Social

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Those who regularly swing around Monticello's Courthouse Circle have had the chance to watch the gradual transformation of 80 N. Jefferson St. over the past several months into the newest restaurant in town: The Social. Purveyors Erin and Sam Gonzalez hail from the Tampa Bay-Clearwater-St. Pete area of Central Florida but have happily made Jefferson County their home now, where they have close family and strong friends who have encouraged their venture.
Erin has worked in the hospitality sector since the age of 15, in all kinds of venues from neighborhood dives to nightclubs to fine dining restaurants to five-star resorts. Sam has been a business owner nearly his entire adult life, with a specialty in construction and the granite industry. Their talents combine well for creating an inviting space in the heart of Jefferson County where everyone is welcome to “Gather, Eat and Drink.” The Social's extensive menu offers fun food for the whole family, enticing dishes for a date night and an impressive range of cocktails for a friends' night out.
The community's anticipation, excitement and support of them while getting the restaurant up and running has been amazing, says Erin. The Gonzalezes didn't wait to be officially open to start giving back to the community, either. When the town's annual Watermelon Festival was suddenly cancelled in mid-June – and they saw how bummed out the vendors, fellow business owners and residents were about it – they opened up their parking lot, dusted off a family guitar and in short order had a street party going on.
While renovations were still underway in June, they were busy hiring staff and developing their menu. The Gonzalezes welcomed Executive Chef M'Hertz Brent to their team and worked really hard to find kitchen staff, bartenders and folks for front of house. Erin says this has been the hardest part of starting up. They are pleased now to have about half of their staff with experience and about half of it training well with excellent potential. In addition, they give thanks that Chef Brent not only knows how to create great food but also is patient with new staff, good at training others and brings well-traveled experience as a restaurant consultant into the balance of it all. The entire team especially appreciates that their early customers have been gracious and understanding about the first round of growing pains as they get in the groove of smooth delivery from ticket to table.
“Everyone has raved about the food and atmosphere,” says Erin, but she adds that the most important aspect of their business is being a part of the community.
They already have visions of doing much more than filling a niche in the local eatery scene.
At their official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, July 5, Erin said, “We're so excited to be here in this community. Our vision for this restaurant is to be more than just a restaurant. We are going to be heavy on events in support of community involvement and having all of the fun things to do.”
The Social also is supporting Jefferson County's agricultural community by sourcing much of the food from local farmers. After establishing the permanent menu, the Gonzalezes plan to branch out into offering brunch, catering for tailgates and more.
“There are lots of exciting things to come!” enthuses Erin.
As the Gonzalez family – including five-year-old Milana and one-year-old Madilyn – settles into their new life in Jefferson County, they can count on well-wishers from many directions. The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together not only family and friends but also local business leaders and professionals to celebrate the opening. Roger Champion, president of the Monticello-Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, read a proclamation and presented the Gonzalezes with a symbolic framed first dollar. Erin and Sam wielded the giant golden scissors to snip the ribbon, and applause rippled out across the Courthouse Circle. Then everyone went inside to see Monticello's newest business and, as their motto says, to “Gather, Eat and Drink.”
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies have their roots in European wedding traditions, where cutting a ribbon has symbolized beginning a new life in a new home. Newly established enterprises began to use ribbon-cutting ceremonies in the U.S. in the late 1800s to show the public that they were open for business. The practice became more common throughout the 1900s and continues to be an important event for many companies seeking to make their presence known in their community.
It is a longstanding tradition locally as well, and Monticello welcomes the Gonzalez family to their new life with best wishes for success with The Social, now and into the future.

Visit https://www.restaurantji.com/fl/monticello/the-social-monticello for more information about this exciting new business!