Nick Sarra is Partner and Chief Executive Officer for Saltwater Restaurants Inc. which includes nine iconic high-volume restaurants with over 1,000 employees across the Florida panhandle, as well as a sizable beachfront shopping and dining venue. Sarra’s more than 40-year career began as a busser at the Sonesta Hotel in Connecticut and was followed by an associate degree in Culinary Arts and a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Johnson & Wales University. His management career started in our nation’s capital in Washington D.C. as part of the Specialty Restaurant Division of Gilbert Robinson, including Charlie’s Place Bar & Grill, H.I. Ribsters, and Hogate’s Seafood. After moving to the Gulf Coast, Sarra operated many well-known establishments before opening his first restaurant 20 years ago.
Sarra is an active member and past president of the FRLA Board of Directors Northwest Florida Chapter and serves on the Okaloosa County Tourism Development Council.