For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Caron Conway
(954) 472-0906, (954) 224-8823

There’s a delightful new business on Hollywood Beach that serves delicious American cuisine in an inviting, laid-back atmosphere.

Nat’s Beach Cafe, which opened in December, is a joint venture between Nat Dorman and Tommy Benson, whose longstanding friendship dates back 30 years to when they first worked together in the bar and restaurant business. The “Nat” in “Nat’s Beach Cafe” actually stands for “Nat And Tommy.”

“Nat gave me my first job in Florida,” said Benson, a native of Myrtle Beach, S.C. who lives in Fort Lauderdale.

Dorman, the manager of the former Café Martinique in Fort Lauderdale, hired Benson as a bartender and the two hit it off. For the past decade, Benson has been a cabinet-maker who has built furniture for various South Florida restaurants that Dorman has managed.

Fast-forward to the present and their new venture, in which they’re joined by accomplished Chef Ed Molloy, a native of Waterford, Ireland, who previously worked with Dorman at a high-volume Miami Beach restaurant. While Molloy’s specialty is fresh seafood dishes, the menu includes N.Y. strip steak, fresh turkey, chicken and pasta selections, as well as a variety of salads, sandwiches and starters, all reasonably priced and prepared the good old-fashioned way.

“We’re trying to keep it as simple as possible,” Molloy said of the café’s offerings, which already have attracted a loyal following from word of mouth, with a great deal of repeat business from tourists and locals alike. “You can taste the quality. We do everything in-house, made fresh from scratch.”

The Hollywood Beach location is a natural fit for both Dorman, a frequent beach visitor who lives in Hollywood with wife Joann and son Nathaniel, and Benson, a former championship surfer.

“I saw that Hollywood Beach is an up-and-coming place,” said Dorman. “We looked up and down the Broadwalk, and this location was available.”

The location includes al fresco patio dining for 28 in the covered breezeway, which eventually will be transformed into a lush tropical beach garden, and seating for 56 inside the woven bamboo-accented eatery, where music by the likes of Jimmy Buffett and the Beach Boys helps set the mood. There also is a walkup window for those patrons who wish to enjoy takeout right on the sand. French fries are served in a souvenir beach bucket and kid’s meals come on a Frisbee. And for those who don’t want to interrupt their sunbathing, Nat’s Beach Cafe will deliver lunch or dinner right to your beach blanket.

With decades of experience in the restaurant industry between them, Dorman and Benson have developed a recipe for success.

“We’ve established a formula,” Dorman said. “We’ve always believed that people go back to the same restaurant when they have great service, great ambiance and great food.”

Nat’s Beach Cafe is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the breezeway behind the Oceanwalk Mall – Ramada Inn Hollywood Beach Resort, at Hollywood Boulevard and State Road A1A, on Hollywood Beach. Hours eventually will be extended to 2 a.m. A nice wine and beer selection is available, including Yuengling traditional lager from America’s oldest brewery.

For more information, call (954) 925-4840.