Big Mamma Hospitality Partners with Ballyhoo Hospitality for U.S. Debut

JUNO BEACH, FL — Big Mamma Hospitality and Ballyhoo Hospitality are planning a yet-to-be-named coastal Italian restaurant at 1011 US Highway 1, Unit C101, Juno Beach, FL 33408, the groups told Business Debut. The project will mark the first U.S. restaurant from Big Mamma Hospitality, founded by Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger, in partnership with CEO Ryan O'Donnell and partner Jon Farrer of Ballyhoo Hospitality.

The Partnership

Seydoux said the project stemmed from friendship, shared values and business practices between himself and O'Donnell. Big Mamma has 36 restaurants in Europe and wanted to enter the U.S. by working directly with a partner who shared the group’s culture and standards.

O'Donnell said the relationship started before the restaurant plans took shape. “We became friends before we became business partners for sure,” O'Donnell told Business Debut.

Seydoux described the partnership as a 50/50 collaboration built around both teams working together on the design, menu, staffing and culture of the restaurant.

“We wanted to do this project together,” Seydoux told Business Debut. “It’s really a wedding.”

O'Donnell's Ballyhoo Hospitality is focused primarily in Chicago, Illinois. And through a connection with real estate developer Jim Letchinger of JDL, Ballyhoo secured the anchor tenant space in the Caretta development at the corner of U.S. 1 and Donald Ross Road.

Rendering from Caretta in Juno Beach

Ballyhoo originally had plans for a different restaurant in the Juno Beach space, but the direction changed after the relationship with Big Mamma developed.

Seydoux said the two groups are building the restaurant hands-on together, combining Big Mamma’s Italian identity with Ballyhoo’s experience operating restaurants in the U.S.

The relationship led O'Donnell and some of the staff of Ballyhoo to travel to Europe to visit Big Mamma restaurants and meet the team, Seydoux told Business Debut. O'Donnell said he visited 14 restaurants in three or four days to understand the brand and identify elements that could work in Florida.

O'Donnell said the menu will pull from Big Mamma’s Italian restaurants while adapting the concept for the local market.

“The majority of the food and the identity of the food is going to be Big Mamma for sure,” O'Donnell told Business Debut.

Seydoux said Big Mamma does not approach new markets by copying a concept from one city into another. Instead, he said the group treats each new restaurant as a blank sheet while keeping its Italian identity rooted in simple, product-driven cooking.

That process also includes spending real time in the market. Seydoux said he moved to South Florida with his wife and three children as Big Mamma prepared for its U.S. entry, similar to how he previously moved to Madrid when the group opened there and how his co-founder moved to London before Big Mamma entered that market.

“The answer is simple. It’s just move where you want to open,” Seydoux told Business Debut.

He said the goal is to understand the market as a customer, speak with local people and get a feel for the restaurant community before opening.

“We go there, we feel the vibe,” Seydoux told Business Debut. “We go to the restaurants around. We try to speak to local people.”

Carlotta from Big Mamma Hospitality in London - Jerome Galland

What to Expect

The restaurant is planned as a coastal Italian concept located about one block from the ocean, O'Donnell told Business Debut. The menu will focus on seaside-inspired dishes, including local seafood, vegetables and fruits.

The space will span about 7,500 square feet with around 180 seats inside and roughly 100 to 120 seats outside, O'Donnell told Business Debut.

Opening Timeline

An opening timeline has not been announced. Seydoux said more details on the name, menu and design are expected closer to opening.

Follow for More

Follow Big Mamma Hospitality on its website and Ballyhoo Hospitality on its website.