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ABOUT OUR AWARD-WINNING

QUARTERDECK RESTAURANTS

Since I first opened the doors of the very first location in the 80’s, I knew we had created something special, something uniquely South Florida. I can’t tell you how many people have told me that they met their spouse at the Quarterdeck or that we have sponsored their class reunions. 50 years is a long time. We now hire some high school students whose parents worked at the Quarterdeck location when they were young! More than 50 years later, we remain driven by the same old school, neighborhood values upon which we have built our success.

Frank Zaffere and I opened the second Quarterdeck® on Fort Lauderdale Beach in 1995. We outlasted every restaurant in the area, except another staple of the community, the Elbo Room. We have 21 years of continuing operations; through five hurricanes and three recessions, we have stayed true to our old school values.

– Paul Flanigan

JAMES FLANIGAN
PARTNER & CEO
About James Flanigan

James Flanigan

PARTNER & CEO

James has been in the restaurant industry since he was an early teenager, literally and figuratively working from the ground floor up to his current position as CEO. As a child, he shadowed and observed his father, Paul, build the business. He continued through high school, college, and law school and has worked in almost every position.

James graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Accounting and from Florida State University College of Law. During college and law school, James worked in the federal trial court in Philadelphia and the state appellate and trial courts in Tallahassee. James practiced law for almost four years in Fort Lauderdale at Tripp Scott, focusing mainly on commercial litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings.

Serving as CFO and chief legal officer of Old School Hospitality for several years, James was named CEO in 2022 and is currently responsible for managing all of the company’s operations. He lives in downtown Fort Lauderdale and plans to plant his roots in the area even further. His love for the bar and restaurant business, along with his extensive law and accounting background, make him the perfect candidate to not just run the business, but to grow it to new heights.

James is happily married with three children, a son and twin daughters.

PAUL FLANIGAN
PARTNER & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
About Paul Flanigan

Paul Flanigan

PARTNER & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

The patriarch of the Old School family, Paul purchased Quarterdeck from Flanigan’s Enterprises, Inc. in 1986, and he partnered with Flanigan’s for close to a decade, opening and managing a number of Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill franchise and company units. He opened a second Quarterdeck Seafood Bar & Neighborhood Grill on Fort Lauderdale Beach in 1995 and then he soon partnered with Frank Zaffere to open six additional Quarterdecks in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties from 1997 through 2004. Paul and Frank teamed up to design, create, and open Dive Bar Restaurant in Jupiter, Florida in 2011 and Dania Beach Quarterdeck in 2012, first Whiskey Neat in 2020 and the second in 2023. A contemporary tiki concept – The Hula Kai, and its rooftop bar, The Ohana Lounge, are set to begin construction fall 2024. Completion expected early spring 2025.

Born in Texas, Paul has been in Florida for most of his life. He attended the University of Florida and then went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a B.B.A. in Accounting, and later graduated from the University of Miami School of law. Prior to entering the restaurant business, Paul also worked as a staff accountant with Price Waterhouse in Tampa and later worked as an attorney with Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius in Miami. Paul is married with five children.

FRANK ZAFFERE
PARTNER & COO
About Frank Zaffere

Frank Zaffere

PARTNER & DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC BRAND DEVELOPMENT 

Frank is a long-time business partner and friend of his fellow Notre Dame alumni, Paul Flanigan. In less than 10 years of employment, Frank became Chief Operating Officer at Quarterdeck restaurants. Under his direction, Quarterdeck doubled units and sales, and established partnership relationships with three major sports franchises in South Florida: the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers and Florida Marlins. Frank was the impetus behind the adoption of sushi, first as a limited menu item, and then as a staple menu item. Frank’s restaurant experience includes serving as managing partner of all Quarterdeck locations and Good Spirits.

Frank’s promotion to Director of Strategic Brand Development is a result of his extensive managerial restaurant experiences.

JONATHAN JIMENEZ
EXECUTIVE CHEF
About Jonathan Jimenez

Jonathan Jimenez

EXECUTIVE CHEF

Jonathan was born in Bogota, Colombia and moved at the age of 16 to Miami. Since he was a kid, he always found himself in the kitchen hungry and curious about how food was prepared. His first job in 1999 was at his aunt’s restaurant – a very busy Mexican restaurant in South Beach “El Rancho Grande”. While attending school, he worked there as a dishwasher and that’s where his love and passion for Mexican cuisine began. Jonathan then decided to move to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he worked in fine dining at Marriott Resort & Spa at Grand Dunes and at Michaels on 79. From there, he moved back to Miami and took a job at Barton G Restaurant in South Beach where he started as a line cook and then got promoted to Sous Chef and then to Executive Sous Chef. After four years, he took an offer as a Executive Sous Chef to work for a well-known area restaurant, “Nikki Beach.”

Jonathan has had the opportunity to travel and open two restaurants, one in Dominican Republic and one in Las Vegas. He has traveled the world, exploring food in the US, Thailand and Mexico. He got the opportunity to open a new Mexican Restaurant call “Lolos Surf Cantina” in South Beach. In 2018, he joined Old School Hospitality team.

ALYSSA TIBBETTS
OPERATIONS MANAGER
About Alyssa Tibbetts

Alyssa Tibbetts

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER & DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Alyssa is veteran of the Florida hospitality industry. Alyssa began as a hostess at the Davie Quarterdeck in 2006. Over the next several years, she progressed through various positions and levels of responsibility, ultimately becoming the General Manager in 2016. In 2017, Alyssa became General Manager of the original Quarterdeck, Project Manager for the new Quarterdeck along with an entirely new concept, Whiskey Neat, which opened in 2019.

In 2021, Alyssa was assigned additional responsibilities including serving as a design consultant for the new Hula Kai Tiki. Early in 2022, Alyssa became Old School Hospitality Operations Manager.

In 2025, Alyssa became Chief Operating Officer responsible for Quarterdeck, Whiskey Neat, Hula Kai and the rooftop Ohana Lounge. Alyssa is also engaged in brand development and strategic planning.

WE HAVE SERVED MORE THAN

1,500,000

DOLPHIN SANDWICHES

1,000,000

FULL RIB DINNERS

Our goal at the Quarterdeck has always been to deliver great tasting food and beverages at a competitive price in a fun, neighborhood environment. What sets us apart? Our Master Sushi Chef ensures the highest quality, freshest fish you can get. Corporate Chef, Kevin McCarthy, visits each store on a weekly basis creating new menu items, improving current items, and conducting regular tastings to ensure consistency and food quality while interacting directly with the chefs and kitchen managers. Our extensive wine and craft beer menu to pair with our customers favorite dishes. And our Spirit Master has crafted the finest cocktails to delight our customers’ palate. Our reasonably priced dishes rival the most upscale, expensive restaurants, in our neighborhoods. Finally, each Quarterdeck® has a casual atmosphere with no less than 40 TVs and is a great place to grab a gourmet burger, served over 500 different ways.

One of the biggest changes for the Quarterdeck® has been our addition of sushi as a major menu item. We were ahead of time in incorporating this into the Quarterdecks, and it has really paid off as our customers have loved having this option on our menu. It’s really the ultimate health option. We have an old school approach when it comes to quality service, customer satisfaction, and value, but we always have their eyes open for new trends that our customers crave, like sushi. Right now that’s Classic Cocktails. We believe we have the best Old Fashioned in the area. Because of economies of scale, we can deliver the highest quality sushi and Classic Cocktails at a very reasonable prices.