Estiator - The Restaurateur

Sowing the seeds of Innovative think­ing and Influential dealings in South Florida's hothouse of restaurant sales and leases, Athan "Tom" Prakas has created a successful real estate company, stem­ming from his Greek roots and restaura­teur background.

In 2000, Mr. Prakas established The Prakas Group, Inc., a thriving commercial real estate brokerage company specializ­ing In restaurant, nightclub and commer­cial properties throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. For over 25 years before that, Tom Prakas owned and operated 27 restaurants, nightclubs and sports bars throughout Ohio, Atlanta, GA, and South Florida. Lo­cally, Mr. Prakas was the originator of al­ternative music clubs in Palm Beach, with the establishment of The Dark Side In Delray Beach and Moscow in West Palm Beach. He also owned and operated The Spot, a sports/rock cafe in West Palm Beach, and brought the popularity of ci­gar smoking to Boca Raton by establish­ing The Cigar Bar.

Shifting from owner/operator to plant himself in the restaurant/nightclub real estate market was a natural fit for Mr. Prakas. "Someone who has been an owner knows the back of the house from the front of the house, knows the termi­nology, and in the case of a restaurant purchase, can check a profit and loss statement to know if it makes sense," says Prakas. "A restaurant broker who has been an owner can even advise a restau­rateur on the concept, setup, and city regu­lations, licenses, and more," he continues. "Consulting of this kind can be invaluable, especially as part of the real estate trans­action." Prakas must know his stuff. His value-added Midas touch has created a business on track to close over $300 mil­lion in sales over a six-year period.

Clients of The Prakas Group Include Peter Tsialiamanis of Tavema Opa, Gusto's Grill & Bar (a former Gus Boulis opera­tion), Burton Handelsman, Big Time Res­taurant Group, MDN Properties, Rodney Mayo, Tarpon Send Restaurants, Gotham City, Dave Manero Restaurants, and Mama Mla's, just to name a few. Mr. Prakas was recently selected as exclusive broker for Pano Karatassos, Founder and CEO of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group for new locations in Florida, including the recent completion of the first lease for Chops Lobster Bar in Boca Raton. In addition, Mr. Prakas recently represented actor Danny DeVito's investment group for a new South Beach restaurant purchase/ lease for a new DeWto's Italian Restau­rant. Prakas stretches beyond South Florida as well, as evidenced by his recent lease transaction for a Taverna Opa loca­tion in Las Vegas, NV.

For restaurant owners seeking to ex­pand to the South Florida market, this GSreek restaurant broker Is the one to call. "Because we are the restaurant source For South Florida, not only do we under­stand the terrain, but we have more agents and more exclusive listings here than anyone in the business," says Prakas. "No firm closes more high profile restau­rant/lounge deals than The Prakas Group - no one, period. Once an operator deals ″vith us, he knows instantly the background and knowledge of our agents and firm. We can make the difference between suc-:ess and failure in a business with such a ligh failure rate."

Never one to stop growing, in 2003, Prakas extended the reach of The Prakas Group by establishing Boca Brokers, Inc., a boutique residential brokerage firm con­centrating on high-end residential proper­ties. Then in 2005, Mr. Prakas added a new dimension to his company and opened a Business Brokerage Division, specializing in the buying and selling of businesses including dry cleaners, salons, day care, automotive shops, and manu­facturing companies doing between $2-7 million dollars of volume.

A resident of Delray Beach for the last 18 years, Mr. Prakas Is originally from Portsmouth, Ohio. He grew up in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio in a family of four boys. Mr. Prakas is a member of St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, where he chaired the annual Greek Festi­val for six years, and is a member of the American Hellenic Educational Progres­sive Association (AHEPA.) He is a mem­ber of the Boca Raton Chamber of Com­merce, and the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Prakas balances his suc­cess while enjoying being the father of eight children and has celebrated his nine-teen years of marriage with his wife Donna. How vast will Mr. Prakas's garden grow? For this Greek descendant and busi­ness mogul, deep roots and ingenuity have proven the sky is the limit­

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