Restaurateur loves to feed the (snow) birds

Originally posted January 2007

The Breakers 12627 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach

The white sands and mild winters of Panama City Beach lured restaurateur Jack Bishop from his home state of Michigan and family when he was just 27 years old.
Today at age 63, Bishop still runs the Gulf-front restaurant, The Breakers, and its next door neighbor, Harpoon Harry’s, and two others: Captain Jack’s and Bishop’s Family Buffet.
Hailing from the upper peninsula of Michigan, Bishop took a bold step in 1971 when he first bought The Breakers. A stint in the military brought him to the region, but escaping harsh winters was his primary motivation for relocating.
“I lived in Houghton, Michigan near Lake Superior,” Bishop said.
“Each year we shoveled 200 to 300 inches of snow.”
He attended Northern Michigan University, but the enterprising student earned his keep working in nearby Wisconsin at the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Cook Shanty.
“The restaurant is still there today,” Bishop said. “The lady that hired me was my English teacher. Her husband owned the restaurant.”
Bishop’s northern roots still run deep – the Snowbird season is one of his favorite times of the year.
“I’ve always connected very well with the Snowbirds,” Bishop said. “And we try to be of service to them. The senior customer is different from the Southern (summer) customer in that they like to dress up!”
Bishop said patrons appreciate the menu deals and the live music in the dining room.
He (as did most Panama City Beach businesses) closed his restaurant in the winter during his early years in the business. He started opening in the winter in 1989 when he saw that the Snowbird business could sustain the operations.
He started doing Snowbird “state” days in 1990, starting with Wisconsin. That first year he drew 70-80 people “who wanted to connect with others” from home.
Today, the Wisconsin state day can draw as many as 600. He also hosts state days for Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois residents.
Through the years Bishop has picked up the pieces from several hurricanes and had to completely rebuild The Breakers when a fire destroyed the building in 1992.
Bishop said he will continue working for probably two more years until his son finishes graduate school at Florida State University.
But he’s not going anywhere. He’s home.