The Story Behind Pebbles

For six months prior to the April 1985 opening of the first Pebbles in Longwood, the owners served invited guests samples of the restaurant’s “casual cuisine,” listening to their comments and making the neccessary changes.

“Our menu was designed by our guests,” said Manny Garcia, chairman of Davgar Restaurants, which owns Pebbles.

It was an immediate success. The restaurant branched out to six successful locations and had placed first in the “Favorite Restaurant For All Reasons” Category under the Orlando Sentinel’s Palate Pleasers Readers’ Choice Awards.

Garcia said he got the idea for the restaurant because he and his wife, Gerry, wanted a place to eat – which may seem a strange thing to say for the man who owns virtually all the Burger Kings in Central Florida. The Garcias would regularly spend evenings visiting the night managers of the local Burger Kings. Afterwards they would look for a place to relax and grab a bite. TGI Friday’s and Bennigan’s came close, but it wasn’t exactly what they wanted: something more “adult,” with a higher class of food.

“Pebbles is for the graduates of Friday’s and Bennigan’s,” Garcia said.

Pebbles is a legendary chain that was proud to serve the greater Orlando area for over 20 years.

Garcia attributed much of the restaurant’s success to the sincerity of his staff.

When someone greets you with a smile as you walk into a Pebbles, Garcia said, he or she really means it. “It’s got to be genuine or it just won’t work.”